Demna's entry at Gucci is a matter of “fashion authority”

Gucci is not just a famous fashion brand, nor is it just the largest brand in Kering. Gucci is the most important Italian luxury brand at the moment – at least in terms of sheer size, the volume it occupies both in the market and in collective consciousness. Like a stunning, lightning-fast race car, however, Gucci needs a suitable driver. Not only to be “driven” efficiently but to be recognized for its importance: in short, it’s a matter of authority. «The priority», Kering’s mega-manager Francesca Bellettini told BoF, «is to give the brand authority in the field of fashion, because in this way, an even greater elevation would be achieved». In short, what Kering is looking to recover is not just sales but, if we may use the term, the reverential awe and deference that the brand inspired during Michele’s era. It’s what we could define as “brand authority”, paraphrasing Bellettini’s words, meaning the status of a brand that defines trends rather than follows them. The elder sister of "brand stability", which is the image of security and solidity a brand possesses when it doesn’t change direction every six months and maintains a fundamental coherence that makes it a reference point, a brand’s authority is something stronger and greater than its authorship: while the latter concerns the more intimate dimension of creative vision, the former pertains to a brand’s ability to be, for lack of a better term, admired or, as we said earlier, revered.The same reason why, after all, Blazy was hired by Chanel. «Elevation means exceptional execution, but also exceptional creativity», concluded CEO Stefano Cantino – as if to say, finally, that Gucci does not need “casual grandeur” or to be labeled with the dreadful, empty adjective “glamorous” but needs its collections to be masterpieces. To quote Breaking Bad: «No more half-measures». And that is precisely why Demna was chosen.

And adding tension to the whole affair is, of course, the enormous question of what his Gucci will look like. Many commentators are already pulling their hair out. In a humorous exchange seen on X yesterday, a user lamented: «Tracksuits, tinfoil dresses, and dirty clothes at Gucci», to which independent journalist Louis Pisano replied: «Someone remind them what Alessandro Michele was doing at Gucci». Indeed, as we ourselves had pointed out when discussing the recent fashion week shows, Demna and Alessandro Michele are two postmodern designers who perhaps work in a mirrored way at the extremes of the “normal” spectrum: the former takes everyday sloppiness and elevates it through an ironic rethinking of branding, an architectural silhouette, and an elevation of very pop products deeply tied to modern and future subcultures; the latter applies the same postmodern filter to a type of precious and old-fashioned wardrobe that, again in the previous article we referenced, we had defined as “the countess’s wardrobe.” Both were equally ironic and idiosyncratic – though, anticipating the most obvious criticisms, CEO Cantino reassured: «His vision for Gucci will not be what was done for Balenciaga. His intention is to do something that is right for Gucci». Commentators, investors, and analysts did not love, not so much the appointment itself, but rather the suspense it generated: Kering’s shares dropped by about 11% this morning while several industry experts strongly reiterated to WWD that Balenciaga’s formula cannot be applied as is to Gucci – which is indeed a much more refined brand than the “new” Balenciaga but which (and this is our opinion) still represents a sort of blank canvas or an empty container capable of hosting any vision that is up to its level.

If this gamble is to work, and it must work, both Demna and the entire management of Gucci and Kering in general must step up their game. Over the coming months (Demna will start at Gucci in the summer after Balenciaga’s last Haute Couture show scheduled for July 9), there must always be someone in the room who knows when to pull the reins and who possesses that common sense in giving the green light to projects to ensure that the public does not end up saying: «I’d love to know who was in the room when they decided to do this» or «Who saw this idea and approved it?». Two phrases that over the past two years have been repeated by everyone, more or less sotto voce, in response to the brand’s campaigns, collections, and public initiatives. There is no need to revisit the various missteps the brand has made that have progressively dimmed public enthusiasm – but it must be said that, to reignite it, whatever the final result, it must be a smash with no ifs or buts. The bar is high, very high – as is the stake. And that is why Gucci no longer needed a “second in command” but a true authority. And the strongest impression at the moment is that this notion, that of “brand authority,” will end up becoming the dominant theme of the industry in the coming months or years. In an increasingly saturated market, where both the press and the public question not whether a brand works but whether its very presence in the market is justified, and with executives who may have realized they can’t always follow the classic playbook of elevation, precisely the authority of a certain brand and a certain designer will become increasingly decisive in maintaining a relevance capable of driving sales but, above all, giving them meaning. The fashion of tomorrow does not want more merchandisers: there is only room for geniuses.