The new Gucci is officially a sale. kering just reported a profit decline of 40 to 45 percent. Gucci is one of kering’s top brands, meaning essentially, you’re shitting selling.
Sabato Desarno was hired to revamp Gucci and lead it into a more minimalist, chic vision, after Alessandro Michele’s whimsical dreamland was allegedly getting stale with clients. But while the brand is trying to turn away its extravagant client, which ironically is the reason why Gucci became so successful in the first place, the new vision is confusing. Most dubbing it ZaraCore, especially with its first collection of very luxe, but basic separates with hints of Gucci monogram here and there.
Now, personally, I kind of do like Sabato’s vision for Gucci. If you are trying to give us chic minimalism vibes, why does half of it still have the Gucci monogram? While most brands are blaming slow shopping habits in Asia and overall for their low numbers
Some brands are undoubtedly seeing massive success. Take the Prada group for example. They have just announced that Miu Miu sales have skyrocketed to over 89%. You know what, I would actually really like to be in the Prada family right about now. But really, the reason Miu Miu is so successful is because its brand identity is so unique, that it’s really hard to buy it anywhere else.
Easy to replicate, social media is inundated with stylists and creators trying to recreate that Miu Miu aesthetic. And that means that your brand is impacting the culture. I have faith that Sabato can turn Gucci around into a more successful brand once again, but we really, really gotta pick a lane here and stick to it.
In fashion, you can’t please everybody.
