Everything
From the streets of London to the viali of Milan – the latest collaboration from Gucci is an exercise in contrasting sensibilities as the Italian brand partners with skate label Palace to create a capsule collection for Gucci’s experimental concept space, the Vault.
Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele worked with Palace Skateboard co-founders Lev Tanju and Gareth Skewis to develop a range that ensured a seamless synthesises between the two identities – Milanese finesse and the raw energy of English streets – into a cohesive, complimentary collection.
Compiling iconic details from both brand’s archives and heritage pieces, the Palace Gucci collection is a fun mesh up that is both nostalgic yet directional in its vision. Overlapping Gucci and Palace logos signify a literal overlap of the brands and while several hero pieces – a Palace Gucci-branded Moto Guzzi, the leather motorcycle jacket and even a Palace Gucci GG-P Supreme Conforti safe box – will have ardent fans frantically hitting refresh and add to cart, the most fun occurs when the blur the lines a little more deliberately. Retro-print t-shirts that lose the traditional fonts. A studded, tie-dye sweatshirt in acid green. Technical jerseys that pay homage to the both home nation’s love of football and the uniform of urban experience.
There’s no doubt that the Gucci under Michele has taken the concept of the brand’s heritage of Italian sophistication ie just a little showy in the best possible way and is determined to run with it as far as he possibly can. Streets as a cultural nexus have always held a fascination for brands – it’s here where they discover the reality of the clothes they make and how the people where them – and partnering with a brand like Palace is a masterstroke move by Michele to ensure Gucci’s clout as a brand for the youth.
The collection will be available online from October 21st at 9pm via Gucci’s other current experiment, the Vault. A blend of archive, digital interactive space, art space and retail experience, the Vault occupies a crossroad for the Gucci experience – a place where the company can flex its creative muscle beyond its own branding. A perfect location for the Palace Gucci partnership.
