Set against the imposing backdrop of Seoul’s 14th-century Gyeongbokgung Palace — and to a dramatic score by Jung Jae-il, who wrote the music for the screen hits “Parasite” (2019) and “Squid Game” (2021) — the Gucci cruise 2024 show marked the house’s final collection before Sabato De Sarno implements his vision as creative director. Given free rein, Gucci’s design studio indulged its fascination with the South Korean capital’s irreverent street style via a fusion of contemporary fabrications and silhouettes emancipated from the confines of sportswear, with nods to tradition throughout.
See here, the studio implored: a neoprene wetsuit inspired by the windsurfers and jetskiers who congregate on the nearby Han River, worn with diaphanous, cherry blossom-reminiscent layers. And there: detachable jacket sleeves and zippered bodysuits finished with the goreum (ribbons) of a jeogori (traditional jacket).
In the same way, the house’s own historical codes were incorporated and re-created for a contemporary setting in the bags that were brought down the runway. Leather Gucci Horsebit Chain bags appeared warped or narrowed in silhouette; on one, the Horsebit was evoked through embossing. At once iconic yet urgently of the times, this collection’s accessories are a fitting hybridisation for a house in a transitory period.
