Gucci collaborates with nine global artists to reimagine the themes from the brand’s archives – flora, fauna, nautical, equestrian and the GG monogram – through a new silk scarf collection
There’s a lot of change happening at Gucci right now. As we all know, Demna Gvasalia has taken the helm as the brand’s creative director, thus ushering in an exciting next chapter for the 104-year-old house. In the meantime, a new collection of silk scarves, made in collaboration with artists across the world, riffs on the brand’s history, affirming the timelessness of Gucci and the little details that endure from era to era.
Gucci began developing its silk craftsmanship in the 1950s. By the 1960s, it was collaborating regularly with the illustrator Vittorio Accornero de Testa to create the kind of elegant, iconic scarves that we still recognise today. Drawing on that legacy, this latest project tasks nine artists of different disciplines to reinterpret the house codes and create a fresh, modern take on the silk scarf.
The themes – flora, fauna, nautical and equestrian – are all familiar. The collaborators, however, are new to the Gucci family. Robert Barry, Everett Glenn, Sara Leghissa, Currynew, Jonny Niesche, Gio Pastori, Walter Petrone, Yu Cai and Inji Seo all responded to these concepts and symbols with varying ideas. The result – referred to as the ‘90 × 90’ project, a reference to the measurements of the classic silk twill scarf – is eclectic and diverse, just what we imagine the brand was after.
For Inji Seo, the Seoul-based illustrator – who, in one scarf, imagined a bright pink and neon-green jungle of luscious trees, verdant plants and characterful animals (with a particularly bashful-looking giraffe) – family couldn’t be more at the forefront of her mind. “What made this project even more special is that I found out I was pregnant while working on it,” she says. “Since our baby was born, an entirely new world has opened up for us. Exploring this world has brought me new emotions, new perspectives and a whole new narrative universe to draw from in my work.”
Moving to Seoul from Gyeongju, a traditional and nature-rich city in the country’s southeast, Seo dived headfirst into the capital’s world-renowned, fast-moving cultural scene as soon as she arrived. “I encountered a flood of animation, books and visual art all at once,” she says. It quickly began seeping into her illustrations. “It was overwhelming in the best way, and those impressions remain vivid in my memory. I believe they became the foundation of the work I create now.”
“I’ve always been someone who chases after fun, and I see my work as a way to express and share the things I find fun or fascinating,” she continues. “No matter what kind of project I’m working on, I need to include the elements that spark joy for me. And through my work, I hope that others can feel it too.”
When it came to collaborating with Gucci for the 90 × 90 project, the brief invited her to freely interpret these themes, offering her a lot of creative freedom. “This was both exciting and a bit daunting at the same time,” she says. “The more I looked into Gucci’s beautiful and intricate patterns, the more I felt a sort of respectful hesitation – like, ‘How could I possibly change something already so perfect?’” She decided to approach it from a lighter, more playful angle, reimagining the brand’s Animalier motifs as scenes from her own animations, “and for the nautical theme, I pictured a magical girl riding a yacht. It was a fun way to blend my imagination with the world of Gucci.”
“I’ve long admired the strength and clarity of Gucci’s visual identity, so when this opportunity came true, I was both thrilled and deeply moved,” she finishes. “Especially the process of connecting my work to Gucci’s traditional archives, it was both delicate and exciting. I felt like I was weaving a little part of myself into their grand, iconic story.”
Photography Patricia Schwoerer
Set design Marie-Noelle Perriau
This article is taken from Port issue 36. To continue reading, buy the issue or subscribe head here
