MI Ciao Sienna, I am so glad to connect with you on the occasion of this Cover Story for the February issue. You looked gorgeous in the iconic looks from Gucci Love Parade Collection. Back in November when it was presented in Los Angeles, I was astonished by the consistency and vibrant creativity of Alessandro Michele’s work. I feel there is an empowering element to his clothes that are able to bring out our most confident self…How do you connect with his vision?
SM I think that what Alessandro is doing at Gucci is one of the most artistic thing anybody has ever done at a brand. It is so much more than about the clothes, which are obviously exquisite, but it’s about a spirit and the soul of people they work with as ambassadors or that they shoot in their campaigns, it’s completely egalitarian and it’s really about who you are as a person inside, It’s inclusive and creative. Every single piece in that collection was outstanding; I was at that show and just thought it was the most breathtaking thing I had ever seen. Actually, every time I see his shows I think they can’t get any better and then it does. I feel so honoured to be able to be a part of that Gucci family. I am not somebody who has social media, I am not particularly engaged with the world in the way it would be useful to a brand of that size, but they are drawn to people who have the essence of what they embrace, and I like to think of myself as an open person and I that’s why we connect.
“I love doing big movies, but the magic happens for me in an intimate little place. I would hope I always get to straddle both worlds, and theater as well, my one true love”.
MI Alessandro definitely changed gender narration and marked a huge shift in the way fashion relates to this. Do you think the film industry is also leaning toward a more diverse and inclusive language? Not only in terms of script and narration but also in regards to the way genders are approached within the industry. I know you have been very vocal about gender disparity in the entertainment field.
SM In the last three years there has been this wave of change, it’s kind of a revolution that is happening in the world. In the film industry I feel inclusivity is really at the forefront of everybody’s mind. The campaigns I used to see when I was growing up were all white men, white women and I am so happy now, to see people of all different ages, colors, shapes, gender and sexual orientation finally being represented, and while I think there is still a long way to go, I do feel the world is kind of turning around and shifting focus to allow a space where everyone is welcome.
In terms of Hollywood, it has changed dramatically, a lot of people have done some really incredible work campaigning for more diversity in cinema. Some categories have been so underrepresented in films and as a woman in Hollywood I feel I am now able to have conversations that I would not have been able to have before. I truly feel the support of other women and if something goes wrong or I find myself compromised in some way, I have people I could access who would support me and back me and I perceive it as real solidarity. It is an overwhelming time to be alive and to see these shifts happening, especially as a mother to a daughter knowing the world she is growing up in is so different from the one I did, and that’s inspiring.
Read the full interview on Muse February Issue 59.
