Gucci Hosts Star-Studded Cruise Collection Fashion Show in London’s Tate Modern 

A model wears an outfit for the Gucci Cruise fashion show in London, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
A model wears an outfit for the Gucci Cruise fashion show in London, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
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Gucci Hosts Star-Studded Cruise Collection Fashion Show in London’s Tate Modern 

A model wears an outfit for the Gucci Cruise fashion show in London, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
A model wears an outfit for the Gucci Cruise fashion show in London, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)

For one night only, the utilitarian, concrete basement of London's Tate Modern museum was transformed into a lush green jungle Monday — and it was the hottest fashion ticket in town.

Luxury Italian fashion house Gucci hosted its star-studded cruise collection catwalk at the Thames-side modern art museum, showing a series of delicate sheer outfits, relaxed denim and daywear, all adorned with the brand's coveted leather bags and other accessories with the double-G logo.

Actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott and singers Dua Lipa and Solange Knowles were among celebrities perched on the front row. Also in attendance were Salma Hayek and her husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, who is chair and CEO of Kering, Gucci’s parent company.

The big-budget event displayed the first cruise collection by Sabato De Sarno, who was named Gucci's creative director last year and debuted his womenswear designs in September.

Gucci normally stages its shows in Milan, but like other fashion powerhouses it chooses locations around the world to show off its cruise collections — the shows in between the main spring and autumn displays.

On Monday, models meandered down a runway that wound its way around hundreds of ferns, overhanging plants and mossy paths, the mass of green a contrast to the grey, industrial show space. De Sarno said that contrast extends to his latest designs, which paired luxurious evening looks and floral embroidery with casual jackets and slouchy denim.

And what of the footwear? Comfort comes first, with all outfits, even the most glamorous evening gowns, paired with Mary Jane shoes, ballet flats or platform loafers worn with little white socks.

“Rigor and extravagance, strength in delicacy, Englishness with an Italian accent,” the show notes read.

De Sarno featured a few checked jackets in a nod to British style, though some other designs were a much more subtle tribute. Dresses and coats covered with squares made of a shimmering bead fringe were a reference to Scottish plaids.

The fashion house has a little-known historical link to the UK. Its founder, Guccio Gucci, had a stint working as a bellhop in the Savoy, the luxury London hotel, more than a century ago.

The brand says Guccio took inspiration from that experience when he opened his first store in Florence in 1921 to sell luggage. The rest, as they say, is history.



Kering Appoints Demna as Artistic Director of Gucci

A Gucci shop is seen at the Jiangbei international airport in southwestern China's Chongqing on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
A Gucci shop is seen at the Jiangbei international airport in southwestern China's Chongqing on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
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Kering Appoints Demna as Artistic Director of Gucci

A Gucci shop is seen at the Jiangbei international airport in southwestern China's Chongqing on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
A Gucci shop is seen at the Jiangbei international airport in southwestern China's Chongqing on March 6, 2025. (AFP)

Italian luxury brand Gucci has appointed Demna as its artistic director, owner Kering said on Thursday, in a much-awaited move to revitalize the struggling label.

The appointment comes after Gucci - once one of the industry's biggest success stories - has suffered a prolonged sales decline, with revenues down 24% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The label's former design chief Sabato De Sarno left in February.

Georgian fashion designer Demna has been the artistic director of Kering's Balenciaga since 2015, and will take up his new role in July, Kering said.

The designer faced criticism in 2022 over a controversial Balenciaga ad campaign with images involving children, which he later said was the "wrong artistic choice".

In a statement, François-Henri Pinault, Kering CEO and chairman, said: "His creative power is exactly what Gucci needs."

Analysts have been impatient for the company to fill the role, with Luca Solca of Bernstein saying that Gucci, which generates nearly half of group sales and two-thirds of operating profit, needed a "heavyweight" chief designer to regain much-needed momentum.