Demna’s second collection for the Italian House was unveiled via a lookbook, with inspiration drawn from 2000s era footballers, with a subtle undercurrent of Tom Ford references.
Newly-installed Creative Director Demna just unveiled his “Generation Gucci” lookbook for the Italian House. Menswear looks see protagonists clad in skintight V-necks, visor sunglasses, bootcut jeans, and croc leather loafers – the uniforms of world-class, sure-of-themselves 2000s footballers.
Slouchy duffles are reminiscent of those Premiership to moneyed overseas league transfers. Small crossbody bags nod to Marbella off-season debauchery, while scaled-down wash bags are made for matchday cockiness. This is menswear for ballers who don’t mince their words on camera, and do their talking on the pitch like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. These athletes were the minted sports stars shopping Tom Ford’s Gucci in the 2000s (he was Creative Director from 1994-2004), an era marked by seductive power dressing, and alluded to in the campaign’s moody and dimly-lit set.
Courtesy of Gucci
Here, it gets reinterpreted through Demna’s off-kilter design language. Models are pictured on the move, proportions are played with, but with more restraint than the uber-oversized vision he left at Balenciaga. It’s more in line with Tom Ford’s midnight drama, and with a retrospective lens that allows the brand to tap into its broader era-defining cultural appeal.
With “Generation Gucci”, the Tom Fordisms of the label’s new direction are apparent. The first glimpse was seen through Demna’s September “The Tiger” film presentation in Milan, where ‘GG’ belts and moto jackets spoke to the brand’s ’00s sensual minimalism. It was a time marked by immense commercial success, and hailed by many as Gucci’s golden era, all adding to a newfound sense of momentum around the House. As for its first runway moment, that will come in February in 2026.
