Gucci Unites Past & Present for its Resort 2024 Collection

The brand showed its Gucci Resort 2024 in Seoul.

Gucci landed in Seoul, the fashion world’s favourite emerging city, for its Resort 2024 fashion show and camped out at the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace. For Gucci to bring its Resort 2024 show to Seoul, specifically to the iconic Gyeongbokgung Palace,  signified a continuation of the brand’s relationship with South Korea. It was in 1998 that Gucci opened its first store in the city.

In the short time between the reign of the brand’s former creative director, Alessandro Michele, and before the start of Sabato De Sarno’s new chapter, the house was inspired by a new setting.

For this collection, Gucci dove headfirst into the Han River by dedicating the entire collection to the sensibility of Seoul, the vibrant street style and kinetic movement that has so captivated the world, resulting in cultural conversations and exchange between eras and traditions. Recovering their silhouettes from the late 1990s, this time, they reinvented the colour palette of the 2010s. Each look reflected some form of hybridization. For the season, the collection was enlivened by the hyper-sensory biomorphic patterns of South Korean artist Ram Han.

Marco Bizzarri, CEO of Gucci, described the brand’s presence in the country as a “journey” that began with the opening of its flagship store in Seoul and grew through countless partnerships with local talent. Bizarri added: “Gyeongbok Palace is one of those wonders of the world that made us feel an instant connection with Korean culture and the people who created it: Florence and Seoul, Italy and Korea, so far on the map but so close in the creation of wonder. That’s why we are honored to present our Gucci Cruise 2024 collection here: celebrating the past, as inspiration for the future.”

Both men’s and women’s fashions were on display, as the 60 looks alluded to a singular mission: hybridization. Models appeared on the runway in an ensemble that fused the incomparable South Korean aesthetic that the world has come to love with Gucci’s brand codes. In usual Gucci fashion, colours were present in abundance, decorating pieces from a silk blouse and bomber jacket to a bouclé skirt suit. Long, loose silhouettes represented the youth of Seoul as well as pants worn at the waist to the ankles, the long parachute skirt and the plethora of cinched laces. These subtle references to local street style felt smarter than the more obvious nods, such as the word Gyeongbokgung stamped on the back of a T-shirt.

There was a mix of bourgeois urban wear and sportswear, such as bouclé cycling shorts, a striking pale pink chiffon dress with tiered ruffles billowing down the runway, worn over a black wetsuit. Neoprene was seen as layered turtlenecks buckled to the chin and paired with tweed midi skirts embellished with diamond crystals running up the sides.

The oversized shirts with red pants and the all-white look with bejewelled pants and bow blouses broke up the collection with a much-needed monochromatic relief. At the same time, there was a magnified reinvention of Gucci’s popular triband, the Web. Bags also took centre stage, such as a Gucci Horsebit Chain bag that is designed to look narrower than usual. This Resort 2024 brings these elements and many more thanks to the design team, perhaps to cover all bases and restore Gucci’s profits.

On the other hand, the front row of the show was packed with celebrities, both international and domestic, among them were Dakota Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Saoirse Ronan, Hanni of NewJeans, IU and Lee Jung-Jae.