THINGS I LOVE vol.8

　

　

There was still talk with GUCCI.

About a year before Tom Ford retired from GUCCI in 2004, I believe it was between the summer and fall of 2002, Frida Giannini (hereinafter referred to as Frida) and Alessandro Michele (hereinafter referred to as Michele) came to Tokyo together.
At the time, the two were working in the design team of GUCCI's accessories department, and when they first met, Michele introduced herself by saying, ``I came to GUCCI from FENDI.'' I was asked by Tom Ford through Japanese PR, ``My team members are going to Tokyo and I would like to show them around,'' and I guided 2 other people who were accompanying him and a total of 4 people for half a day.

At the time, I was involved in a LOUIS VUITTON project called CELUX, and the store had just opened in Omotesando (above the LV Omotesando store), so I took him there first. After showing them the clothes and miscellaneous goods that they had selected, as well as items made in collaboration with LV, they were also shown around select shops and vintage clothing stores around Omotesando. However, the two had just arrived that day and looked a little tired. The tour started in the afternoon, but by 5pm, it was time for cocktails at Hazawa Garden, a bar in Hiroo. At that time, I loved the bar in Hazawa Garden and went there almost every day. In other words, that day I went to Hazawa Garden as per my routine.
At first, the two of them were surprised, thinking, ``This is a bar all of a sudden,'' but once they entered the bar, they liked the setting and the atmosphere of the garden, and enjoyed the cocktail hour. The bar lounge at Hazawa Garden was very comfortable, with a beautiful garden and plenty of snacks such as dried fruit, even now that I remember it. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a ``mountain lodge in the middle of the city.'' It was a choice I made because I thought it would help relieve the fatigue of traveling. Frida was in charge at the bar, and Michele did as Frida told her to. My memory of the other two members is vague, but the group's boss was Frida, and Michele was her assistant. It was a fleeting encounter, but little did they expect that the two of them would be responsible for the future of GUCCI.

Neither of them were wearing GUCCI that day. Frida was carrying a GUCCI bag, while Michele was wearing vintage clothing and carrying a hippie-style shoulder bag. Maybe only the belt was a vintage GUCCI. Only one of the other two competitors wore Tom Ford's GUCCI head to toe. Thinking about it now, the atmosphere had changed dramatically from when I met Tom Ford and his team at the Park Hyatt Tokyo in 1996.

Later, around 2007, when Frida was the director, I took Frida around Kyoto for a feature on the magazine "Casa BRUTUS". I remember when I took him to Shoren-in Temple, he loved the fusuma paintings. At night, I went to Ichiriki-tei in Gion. As we were watching the geishas singing and dancing, Frida suddenly said, ``Tomoki, I want to try wearing that kimono!'' I felt panicked for a moment, but then I timidly asked the elderly woman who was in charge of the situation, ``Excuse me, mom, but she wants to wear that geisha's kimono...'' Then, without any hesitation, my mother said, ``It's okay. Hey, you should take it off and lend it to your girlfriend.'' Frida was happy, but I was pulled into the changing area and had to help her get dressed. I didn't know how to put on a kimono, so I did everything my mother told me to do, such as holding the obi, and diligently helped Frida put it on in front of a grinning, half-naked Frida.
At that time, Frida naturally wore GUCCI all over her body. I didn't own any GUCCI clothes from that season. bedwin was my favorite at the time. & the heartbreakers light gray suit. At the end of the gorgeous Kyoto tour, I presented Frida with a Nishijin textile braid. To be honest, this was the first time I realized the beauty of braids.

After that, in 2011, I decided to help with "Gucci's 90th Anniversary: ​​Kyoto Kinkakuji Hojo Archive Exhibition". When I was asked about celebrating our 90th anniversary in Kyoto, I immediately suggested Kinkakuji (Rokuonji). The image of the main shrine of Kinkakuji and GUCCI really fit together. At the time, I never thought I would be able to do it, but it was very interesting to display several bamboo bags from Gucci's archives against the backdrop of the main shrine seen from the Hojo room. I helped out the painter Hiroshi Senju, who was in charge of the general direction, by arranging the bamboo bags while looking at the fusuma paintings. It was a valuable experience.
The compatibility between the bamboo handle and the ink painting on the sliding door was wonderful. The exhibition was being worked on in the hot summer, so the space had no air conditioning, but the building was designed to allow for good ventilation, so the occasional breeze was a pleasant touch. It is a stylish device created by a shrine carpenter. It was a luxury to be able to experience that.
The launch party was held at "Tsuruya" in Okazaki. The grand banquet at Isohachi Yoshida's modern Sukiya architecture is held at GUCCI I think it was a perfect venue for the 90th anniversary. Just as the party was in full swing, Heike fireflies danced in the garden. The beautiful sight was burned into my eyes. Although Frida was absent, CEO Patrizio Di Marco was very pleased. I had many interviews with Frida, but unfortunately I didn't buy as many clothes as I did with GUCCI when I was with Tom Ford.

And in February 2015. When I saw Alessandro Michele's collection, the big bow blouse really stuck with me. For the next three years, I became obsessed with Michele Gucci. Michele's greatness lies in her unique worldview, which combines the gorgeous and glittering images created by Tom Ford with pop playfulness, withering, quiet beauty, and horror-like beauty. These have been fused in a well-balanced manner, creating a splendid new Gucci world. This resonated with me. It struck me all the more because I had been bored with runway brands as a whole for a long time. In the summer of 2015, when I went to Milano Collection, I first went shopping at the GUCCI store. I think it's been over 10 years since I felt that way.
The explosive success of Michele's rebrand was largely due to his nearly 15-year career with GUCCI. When it comes to rebranding, there is a tendency to focus on events, such as hiring directors from other brands or casting people from other industries, but Alessandro Michele's success in reviving Gucci was a feat that was possible because he understood and loved GUCCI more than anyone else. Of course, CEO Marco Bizzarri deserves the biggest credit for giving Michele this chance.

■Tomoki Yuma (@stsukezane）
Born in Kyoto City in 1965. Started his career as an editor in the editorial department of Magazine House ``POPEYE''. Currently, in addition to planning and styling fashion pages for magazines, she also designs advertising costumes for artists and musicians. Before the coronavirus, he covered men's collections in Paris and Milan for over 35 years.

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