By Danielle Kaye
NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) – Gucci’s creative director Demna presented his first Cruise collection for the Italian luxury brand on Saturday night in New York, transforming Times Square into a runway as owner Kering seeks to revive its struggling flagship label.
The splashy show, livestreamed on billboards in one of the most visited places on the planet, was a nod to Gucci’s ties to Manhattan – the birthplace of its international expansion and where the Italian house opened its first store outside Italy in 1953.
The “GucciCore” collection unveiled on Saturday “feels like a homecoming for the brand,” Demna said in a statement.
“I wanted to do the impossible and place Gucci at the centre of this metropolis,” he added.
Cindy Crawford and former football quarterback Tom Brady were among the models who donned Demna’s variety of styles, from business suits and trench coats to full-length gowns, in front of an audience of celebrities including Anna Wintour and Mariah Carey.
The collection’s range reflects the “plurality of styles that intersect like the streets of the city,” Demna said.
Cruise collections, once limited to resort attire, are now often presented in locations that allow brands to link their designs to a geographic narrative. They are staged in addition to the biannual fashion calendar.
NORTH AMERICAN PUSH
Gucci’s decision to host the show in New York comes as many European luxury brands turn to the North American market to drive growth. French fashion house Christian Dior unveiled its Cruise collection in Los Angeles this month.
The show followed Demna’s runway debut for the house in Milan in February. The Georgian designer spent a decade at Kering’s Balenciaga brand before taking over as Gucci’s creative director in July last year, stepping into a role previously held for two years by designer Sabato De Sarno.
The Gucci brand makes up a majority of profit at French conglomerate Kering, which sought a creative reset when it appointed Demna to Gucci’s top design role.
Sales at Gucci dropped by 8% in the first quarter from the previous year, the luxury fashion group said in April, as the Iran war hurt spending by Middle Eastern shoppers and curtailed international travel. Kering called the quarterly results a “first step” in its recovery.
Kering, which also owns Yves Saint Laurent and jeweller Boucheron, appointed Luca De Meo as CEO last September to lead a turnaround – especially at Gucci. He has pledged to more than double the luxury group’s operating profit margin and boost Gucci’s appeal.
(Reporting by Danielle Kaye; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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