May 18, 2022: Recounting the story of Hannah Arendt and Walter Benjamin, Gucci’s Alessandro Michele makes the connection between fate, love and history through his collection, just like Mr. Benjamin did decades ago.
The German philosopher once said, “It's not that what is past casts its light on what is present, or what is present its light on what is past; rather, image is that wherein what has been comes together in a flash with the now to form a constellation.” Connections is what makes constellations.
Set up at the historic Castel Del Monte in the Apulia region of Italy, the collection was indeed presented under the stars.
Known for its unique geometric design, Castel Del Monte is the masterpiece of the creative genius, Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, who commissioned its building around 1240. Isolated, the castle stands in Andria within the Apulia region of Southeast Italy, 540 meters above sea level on a hill bathing in sunlight at every time of day.
Given its blending of various elements from Northern Europe, the Islamic world and classical antiquity, Castel del Monte represents a crossroads of different peoples, cultures, civilizations, and religions that is the Mediterranean – thus highlighting the meeting of stars in its own way.
Another way the presentation made a connection with the stars was through the voice-over from the 1969 Apollo Moon landing that played during the fashion show.
The collection itself – like previous collections by Mr. Michele – was a mix of something old, something new. Sheer fabrics, sequins and sparkles, fur coats, monochromes, splashes of colors, embroidered velvets, satin shirts – everything came together in a cosmic explosion.
