Gucci kicks off Milan Fashion Week with furry coats as it awaits new designer

MILAN: Gucci sent a collection of furry coats, slim pencil skirts and slip dresses down the catwalk for its fall-winter show, a lineup of styles for women and men drawn up by its design studio as the Kering-owned Italian label awaits its next designer.

Models marched through a sprawling space that was outfitted with a dark green carpet and velvet curtains, parading lace-trimmed slip dresses, wool overcoats with rounded shoulders and double-breasted suits with lengthened lapels.

Justin Hurwitz conducted a live orchestra that played as models trod down the slick runway in the shape of the label’s interlocking G logo, carrying bags of various sizes and colors, their chunky, horsebit necklaces swaying.

Kering is in the process of revamping Gucci, its biggest label, and earlier this month announced the abrupt departure of designer Sabato de Sarno after less than two years. De Sarno shifted Gucci’s focus to more classic, minimalist designs, and emphasized a glossy red color in his collections.

Milan Fashion week opens as luxury sector struggles

Speaking to journalists before the show, Gucci chief executive Stefano Cantino did not give precise timing for the upcoming change of creative director, and said executives were focused on “working for the good of the brand.”

Previously one of the industry’s biggest success stories, with fast growth between 2016 and 2020, the century-old label fell behind when shoppers’ tastes shifted away from the baroque, gender-fluid designs by Alessandro Michele. Analysts do not expect a rebound until next year.

Milan Fashion week, which kicked off on Tuesday, runs through March 3.