In the wake of COVID-19, countless industries across the world have needed to completely reinvent their business plans overnight to stay relevant and functional. The fashion industry is no different, with many major labels across the world pivoting to the factory production of face masks and hand sanitizer instead of their usual evening gowns and denim. In one groundbreaking move that will outlast the pandemic in a major way is Gucci‘s plan to indefinitely go seasonless with its future collection showcases, and instead present designs twice annually.
Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele announced these plans in a social media statement, posting a graphic that expresses his belief that we’re collectively working with an increasingly more outdated model.
“I will abandon the worn-out ritual of seasonalities and shows to regain a new cadence,” Michele shared in the text post. “I would like to leave behind paraphernalia of leitmotifs that colonized our prior world: cruise, pre-fall, spring-summer, fall-winter. I think these are stale and underfed words. Labels of an impersonal discourse that lost its meaning.”
Gucci seasonless announcement
Gucci’s seasonless idea is like a concept many brands have been toying with for several years now: as social media, editorial, and e-commerce alike have compelled creators to release new products quicker, labels big and small have pushed in ways that just aren’t sustainable in the long term. Sustainability has remained a pressing weak point in fashion, whether it’s in regards to environmentally-sound fabrics and production methods, consumer shopping budgets, fair labor and wages for garment makers, shrinking retail space, and some combination of all of the above.
Industry leaders like Gucci are likely to set the tone. It’s likely that more major fashion houses and smaller labels will either follow this trend or come to similar conclusions for their own future within the industry. In fact, the Saint Laurent Altuzzara, Dries Van Noten, and more brands have already gone digital and/or announced plans to skip out on pre-2021 season presentations.
More fashion news from the Gucci brand.
More designers’ responses to the COVID-19 era.
All images via Gucci
