Under designer Alessandro Michele, Gucci has added men’s looks to the women’s runways and vice versa, and now the house is taking another step toward blurring gender lines and simplifying fashion-show schedules. At the New York Times International Luxury Conference today, Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri announced that, starting next year, the brand will combine its men’s and women’s shows into one. “Maintaining two separate, disconnected calendars has been a result of tradition rather than practicality,” he said.
“It seems only natural to me to present my men’s and women’s collections together,” Michele added in a company statement. “It’s the way I see the world today. It will not necessarily be an easy path and will certainly present some challenges, but I believe it will give me the chance to move towards a different kind of approach to my story telling.”
Burberry announced a similar approach earlier this year, though as of now, Gucci has no plans to follow in its footsteps in terms of adopting “see now, buy now” collections, confirming that it is sticking to a traditional schedule. Explained Bizzarri, “It is fundamental to the full exploitation of Gucci’s creative and production capabilities, for which the lead times are essential.”
