Gucci takes over London’s Tate Modern for cruise line catwalk show

LONDON: Gucci turned London’s Tate Modern art gallery into a catwalk on Monday, as the Italian luxury label presented its cruise 2025 line in the British city that once inspired its founder.

Creative director Sabato De Sarno opened the show with brown suede jackets and ensembles, often bearing the Gucci horsebit emblem and paired with chiffon blouses.

Walking around the gallery’s basement blooming with lush greenery and in front of an audience including model Kate Moss, actor Paul Mescal and singer Debbie Harry, models wore coats and dresses in chamomile flower prints, loose denim shirts and trousers.

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De Sarno nodded to British tailoring, presenting short coats or boxy jackets. “I owe a lot to this city, it has welcomed and listened to me. The same is true for Gucci, whose founder was inspired by his experience there,” he said in shownotes.

Guccio Gucci worked as a porter at London’s Savoy hotel before opening his eponymous shop selling leather goods in Florence.

De Sarno also presented pleated gowns in pastel colours and several designs, including a coat and dress, had sparkling beaded fringes.

Models mainly wore flat shoes in the cruise line, which refers to designs produced by stylists in addition to twice-yearly seasonal collections. “This is another piece of me, more romantic, more contradictory,” De Sarno said.

“I like taking something that we think we know and breaking away from its rules, taking it as far as it can go, without ever distorting it. Bringing it towards its opposite and finding harmony.”

De Sarno made his catwalk debut for Gucci, the star label of French luxury group Kering, last September, with his first designs coming into stores in mid-February.

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His pared-back styles have contrasted from his predecessor Alessandro Michele’s more flamboyant designs.

Last month, Kering said it expects a 40% to 45% plunge in first-half operating profit after first-quarter sales declined as wealthy shoppers curbed spending on Gucci products.

The warning prompted concern in the luxury sector about prospects for rebound in the all-important Chinese market, where a property crisis and high youth unemployment have weighed on shoppers’ appetite for high-end fashion.