Gucci is saying arrivederci to Milan for one season and decamping to Paris Fashion Week for its Spring 2019 runway show. To be held on September 24, the show is the latest development in Gucci’s ongoing love affair with all things French—not only was its Spring 2018 campaign shot in the streets of Paris, but its Resort 2019 show will be held in the Southern city of Arles, a favorite of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh.
Aside from creative director Alessandro Michele’s own obsession with French life and culture—French philosophers Deleuze and Guittari are oft-referenced in his show notes—the Gucci brand has longstanding ties to France. Its parent company, Kering, is French and its founder Guccio Gucci left his native Florence for Paris in 1898, starting his career in hotels there—a decision that would lead him to establish the Gucci brand of leather goods in Florence in 1921, inspired by the chic travel cases of international guests in Paris and in London’s Hotel Savoy.
The brand is not abandoning its Italian roots either. During Milan Fashion Week, Gucci will hold an event at its Gucci Hub in Milan on September 19. The September 24th show will also take place on the free day between Milan and Paris Fashion Week, acting as a sort of aesthetic bridge between Italian and French fashion.
