Demna has officially arrived at Gucci, and true to form, he’s shaking up expectations. A day ahead of Milan Fashion Week, the newly-installed creative director dropped his first lookbook for the Italian house without warning. The collection, titled La Famiglia, is a chaotic, unapologetic vision that stakes out the territory for Demna’s era: extravagant, daring, and distinctly sexy.
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Shot by Catherine Opie like intimate family portraits, La Famiglia examines the archetypes that populate Gucci’s world. On the men’s side, shimmering vests and unbuttoned silk shirts define the ‘Partyboy’ and ‘Narcisista’ looks, paired with black trousers and the returning double-G belt. Chest-baring pieces continue with ‘Figo’ in a moto-style leather jacket and ‘Androgino’ in a sheer mesh top. The collection balances risqué with structure: ‘Direttore’ wears a single-breasted black suit with an oxblood tie, brooch, and aviators, while the ‘Nerd’ blends leather and sweater vest with ’70s-inspired striping and miniature horsebit details.
For women, the lookbook is equally charged with sex and spectacle. There are femme fatale archetypes — the tiger-striped faux fur of ‘La Bomba’, the powder-blue puff-shouldered shearling coat of ‘Sciura’, the silver sequined minidress of ‘Miss Aperitivo’. They recall the heat of Tom Ford’s Gucci while twisting it into something deliberately over-the-top. Opera coats dripped in feathers, knee-high mock croc boots, layers of faux fur: it’s glamour amplified until it becomes cartoonish. Yet the collection also pivots into subtler territory with slick suiting, slouchy Jackie bags, and glossy monogram trench coats that bring the chaos back down to earth.
“This collection marks the genesis of a new Gucci era: unapologetically sexy, extravagant, and daring. La Famiglia is a study of the ‘Gucciness’ of Gucci, an expression of the brand as a mindset and a shared aesthetic language,” he said in a press release.
Demna’s signature unpredictability shines through the release. Gucci, known for its tight control, rarely surprises in this way. But Demna has built a career on unorthodox approaches: guerrilla marketing, digital worlds, veiled appearances on red carpets, and even a Balenciaga Simpsons short. The drop mirrors that history, delivering chaos, anticipation, and spectacle.
At a moment when the fashion industry leans on classic, sellable goods amidst economic and cultural shifts, Demna’s early shake-up feels like a deliberate statement: Gucci under his hand will be playful, provocative, and disruptive. The La Famiglia lookbook, shared ahead of the official unveiling, offers a glimpse of a Gucci that is fearless, fluid, and ready to rewrite its own rules.
Whether audiences will embrace the turbulence or resist it, one thing is clear: Demna is making Gucci his own, and the world is already watching.
