In fashion, queue barriers tend to appear on special occasions, whether it is the entrance of an anticipated fashion show or the opening of a new store. However, for Gucci’s London flagship store on 34 Old Bond Street, queue barriers constraining a ‘one in, one out’ queue are an everyday necessity, regulating the chaos of customers flooding in the store until its closing time. Initially referred to as a ‘nobody’ and a ‘risk’ taken from Gucci’s then newly CEO, Marco Bizzari, Alessandro Michele has been able to transform Gucci into the most relevant fashion brand of the moment dominating the fashion scene with his maximalism aesthetic approach: the Guccify effect. From high-end designers to fast-fashion giants, the fashion industry is swamped with embroidered flora and fauna elements, while the endless copies of the iconic Gucci Princetown slipper mule has been exhausting to spot on the streets. Four years since the abrupt firing of Frida Giannini due to a stagnating creative state translated into dropped sales, the Italian brand is reliving old glory days similarly to Tom Ford’s iconic era for the brand.
Neither a fan nor a hater of Alessandro Michele’s approach, in an effort to decrypt Gucci’s unstoppable resonance, I spoke to an employee from Gucci’s London flagship store, who has experienced and worked for the brand before and after Alessandro Michele’s appointment. Wished to remain nameless, as the company's contract strictly prohibits the release of any statements to the media, Gucci's transformation from a 'leather goods brand' into an international phenomenon is unravelled.
Frida Giannini's office in Gucci's headquarters, Milan, Italy (2012)
Alessandro Michele's office in Gucci's renovated headquarters, Milan, Italy (2017)
How long have you been working for Gucci?
I have been working for Gucci since 2013. This February will be my fifth year in the company.
Why did you choose to work for Gucci?
Not any particular reason, really. As soon as I graduated from Kingston University, where I studied Fine Art, I wanted to move to London straight away and I had to somehow support myself financially. Having work experience in luxury retail in my home country, I had a couple of interviews with other brands for retail positions, however I just couldn’t turn down a name as strong as Gucci.
Working for Gucci since 2013, you must have experienced the transition and transformation of Gucci from Frida Giannini’s creative direction to Alessandro Michele’s.
Yes, I did. Actually, when I was hired in February 2013, it wasn’t long before there were internal rumours regarding [Frida] Giannini’s exit. Of course, there was nothing speculated about Alessandro Michele at that point. Yet, with the dropped sales, which I was introduced to, everyone was expecting a big change for the brand soon.
As employees of the brand, were you updated in advance on such big changes in the company?
No, never. I can’t be certain what the managers were aware of, as most of them have a closer relationship with people working in the headquarters in Milan. Usually, it would just be a detailed email the day before a story would go public. At the end of they day, Gucci has more than 11,000 employees, and people tend to talk. So, it makes sense not to share such information.
How were these months before Frida Giannini’s exit translated in retail for Gucci?
Well, I work in the Bond Street store, so as Gucci’s London flagship store it always tends to be busy. I can’t really say that it was ever quiet during those months, however you could truly see that the clothes were not much of an interest for the Gucci customer anymore. Not even for tourists that were there just to have a look in the store. Leather goods were what people wanted to look at and buy. A phenomenon that my colleagues assured me from my first day in the company. It’s funny because talking about it right now, I can’t even remember what these two last collections designed by Giannini looked like.
Look 9, Gucci Pre-Fall 2015 Collection, designed by Frida Giannini
Look 30, Gucci Fall/Winter Ready-To-Wear 2015 Collection, designed by Alessandro Michele
Based on Marco Bizzari’s statements, after Alessandro Michele was appointed creative director of Gucci, both Frida Giannini’s and Alessandro Michele’s collections were in stores, simply for financial reasons. With two completely different aesthetic approaches, how was that stage of transition for Gucci?
The process felt much more organic in a way than it sounds. At the beggining, the store was displaying most of Giannini’s creations as Alessandro had just started designing for Gucci, therefore even if people wanted to buy his designs, there wasn’t stock for these items. The two collections were visually merchandised completely different, so it was evident which one was which. Also, the customers didn’t seem to mind the contrast of this old and new era of Gucci. Considering Alessandro Michele’s maximalist approach, slowly but efficiently the store started to be dominated by his creations. Even in those early days, Michelle’s re-interpretations of classic Gucci pieces, such as the Dionysus bag or the Princetown slipper were booming. By the summer of 2016, the store was redesigned by Alessandro himself, and people have been queueing everyday ever since in order to obtain a Gucci piece designed by him.
Is it true that Marco Bizzari, himself, went to stores and explained the new mentality of Gucci under Michelle’s creative direction?
We were one of the first stores for Mr. Bizzari to visit and give us a talk about the new image of Gucci. I remember Mr. Bizzari looked beyond excited for Gucci’s new era, however no-one could predict the impact Michele’s designs would have on Gucci from a sales perspective as well as making Gucci the most relevant brand of the moment. People working for years and years for Gucci actually left, as they didn’t believe in Mr. Bizzari’s choice of hiring a nobody as the creative director of the brand. Looking back now, I am sure they all regret it. However, Michelle’s approach is so particular that if you are not fond of it, it’s hard to engage and sell it to the costumer.
Saying that, what do you think about Alessandro Michele’s design approach?
What’s brilliant in his collections is that there is so much information. In the past, luxury brands identified with limited pieces, minimalistic merchandising etc. However, as the pace of our times dictates more and faster, Michelle was able to give that to the Gucci customer, through his maximalism approach and sense of continuity in his collections. If you ask me to distinguish items from different collections, I probably won’t be able to. I am one of those people finding Michele’s designs border-line repetitive. However, it seems that this sense of longevity appeals to the Gucci customer. Also, the collaborations with numerous artists, the customisation of clothes…all these innovative moves for a luxury brand that Gucci has made under Michelle’s direction has proven to be exactly what people in fashion crave right now; individuality and exclusivity.
Who is the Gucci customer then?
I don’t think this question applies with the the current boom of Gucci or Michelle’s approach. The Gucci customer is anyone that falls in love with an item and wants to buy it. Simple as that. Of course there are customers who are just caught in the hype of the moment, not really understanding or feeling Michele’s Gucci world, but from my experience they do end up coming back to the store for more. If you want a more sales driven response, Asian and Middle East customers are the biggest part of sales.
What is the most obscure request a customer has given you?
The most obscure request, which I get all the time, is when customers show me Instagram posts of digital influencers and celebrities, demanding collection’s pieces which are not offered in-stores. I can’t tell you how many times they have made me call my manager, just so he can tell them the same exact thing.
Do they buy anything or do they leave empty-handed usually in such scenarios?
I mean they usually tend to buy at least some sort of leather good, if not a princetown slipper. Regardless, they come prepared to spend a lot of money for runway pieces, therefore the leather goods feels like a souvenir for them, I guess!
Gucci's London flagship store under Frida Giannini's creative direction (2011)
Gucci's London flagship store under Alessandro Michele's creative direction (2017)
Visiting the store this morning, I noticed there are so many products that are out of stock. Is this because you have limited stock of products or do they simply sell out extremely fast?
Both. As representatives of Gucci we cannot offer extraordinary pieces to everyone, therefore sometimes some products are “out of stock”. However, most of the time this is true as they sell out like crazy. You can’t expect to find a black leather Princetown slipper in your size that easily, however that’s the beauty of Alessandro Michele’s maximalism approach. There are so many more options to choose from, so you definitely leave the store with something else.
What is the biggest amount of money you have witnessed a customer to pay for Gucci?
It was a celebrity, who I will not name as I am already in trouble sharing all this information with you! (Laughs). But this woman, there you go another clue, left 85,000 pounds in just thirty minutes of shopping in the store. 85,000 pounds!
Do you think this Guccify effect will last? After four solid years since Alessandro’s appointment, how are sales in 2018?
If Alessandro Michele continues working in the same manner, I am certain it will. That’s the difference between Gucci and other luxury brands at the moment. Phenomenally, for someone who is not a customer, it seems as if Michele has been doing the same thing for four years. However, if you are active on our social media, campaigns etc, there is just so much diversity in products and collaborations that is inevitable for Gucci to get to a stagnating state again. On the other hand, it is fashion. As Heidi Klum always said in Project Runway, “In fashion the one day you are in, the next day you are out.” So, who knows? Maybe, Hedi Slimane in Celine will be the next new thing.
What would you suggest as a must-item from Gucci right now?
I couldn’t give a more predictable answer to this question, however, the endless editions of the Princetown slipper is a great, and affordable, start to immense yourself within the Gucci experience. Guccify yourself! (Laughs)