MANIFESTO

#61

ART NOW

GUCCI HA HA HA

2022.06.21

Alessandro Michele and Harry Styles tell the story of a friendship; the Gucci Ha Ha Ha collaboration already suggests their personalities from its name, with the initials of the two artists.

From the creative complicity of Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, and British singer-songwriter and actor Harry Styles, comes a pragmatic collection that represents the sharing of a true and sincere friendship. The creative approach of the two is different but similar in sensitivity and contamination of common ideas that allow the complicity of their relationship to tell a story. The title of the Ha Ha Ha collection is both a fusion of the initials of their names, and the onomatopoeic sound of laughter; in fact, it is precisely with this wording, or the ‘laughing face’ emoticon, that their message exchanges have always ended. Michele and Harry Styles met many years ago, when Michele was making his debut as Gucci’s creative direction and Styles was releasing his first solo album. Right from the start, they were united by an innate complicity that has grown stronger over time through the sharing of moments, journeys and sensations; a sincere relationship, completely devoted to each other, without envy or hypocrisy. Their fun-loving understanding has now turned into a concrete proposal, a tangible and material product.

“The idea of working together came to me one day while we were talking on the phone: I proposed that we build a ‘dream wardrobe’ together, starting with those little quirks that can put together almost childlike visions.”

– Alessandro Michele

The collaboration is a true blend of different styles: elements of the pop aesthetic inspired by the 1970s, the bohemian spirit, the imagery and characteristics of the gentleman between experimentation and classic masculine tailoring. It was created to be playful and free, to bring out new states of beauty through freedom and naturalness. Among the garments on offer are tailored suits and dresses in irregularly dyed velvet; treated denim jackets; double-breasted coats in Prince of Wales or with a hood and frog fastening; shirts with mother-of-pearl buttons; trousers and kilts with pleats; and accessories of various kinds. The construction of the garments and the attention to detail emphasise the craftsmanship, while research comes alive in the materials chosen, the shapes and the volumes produced. Each element is a recognisable piece of their personal style: a meeting of English tailoring and the harmony of romantic accents. A perfect dialogue of creativity and vision, far from any homologation of form. The collection unites two ‘I’, two strong personalities, resulting in an absolute ‘we’ that is reflected in each proposal. A clear harmony of elements, a dialogue between different cultural backgrounds.

“Harry has a great sense of fashion. Observing his ability to match clothes with a procedure that is out of scale with the standards demanded by common sense taste and the homologation of form, I have learned that their very arrangement is a generator of difference and power…”

– Alessandro Michele 

BOTTEGA VENETA

BEYOND BORDERS

2023.09.24

Matthieu Blazy takes us through a physical and metaphorical journey, far away, in search of something else, and at the same time intimate, discovering the self. Clothes transform, men and women disguise and change, blending.

LOUIS VUITTON

GHESQUIÈRE OCTOBER 2014

2023.09.20

The GO-14 bag, an acronym for Ghesquière October 2014, originated as one of the first creations to mark the designer’s debut at the head of the Louis Vuitton Maison.

NEWS

On Foot

2023.09.19

The exhibition On Foot, curated by Jonathan Anderson at Offer Waterman Gallery, will bring contemporary artists in dialogue with works of modern British Art and some interventions conceived by the designer himself.

EXHIBITION

MODE ET SPORT. D'UN PODIUM À L'AUTRE

2023.09.18

Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris presents Mode et Sport: from September 20th 2023 will be possible to discover the fascinating interconnections between fashion and sport from the ancient world to the present day.

V&A Museaum

FASHION MANIFESTO

2023.09.15

The first exhibition in the UK dedicated to the visionary couturier Gabrielle Coco Chanel – Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto will open on September 16th 2023 at the Victoria & Albert Museum.