Keep It Gucci: The Art Of Silk—A Bold Revival Of Iconic Luxury, Starring Julia Garner

Gucci explores the core of its history in its latest artistic project, Keep It Gucci: The Art of Silk, an enthralling campaign starring Julia Garner, an Emmy Award winner. The brand maintains silk’s position at the nexus of art, fashion, and history while highlighting the expressive power of the material through cinematic images shot by Steven Meisel. In addition to celebrating Gucci’s legendary heritage, this project—which includes a collaboration book and a global artist initiative—is a daring step towards the brand’s artistic future.

 

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Gucci’s latest campaign, Keep It Gucci: The Art of Silk, pays a dazzling tribute to the brand’s long-standing passion for silk. The campaign’s focal point is actress Julia Garner, who mixes a collection of striking images to represent the opulent, dreamy properties of silk. Garner is photographed by Steven Meisel as she travels through cityscapes that are lit by the interaction of light and shadow. Her silk accessories flow with each step, telling a story of grace, metamorphosis, and individuality.

However, the campaign is more than simply a show. Gucci: The Art of Silk, a collaboration book produced by Assouline, and the 90 x 90 artist project are also part of the three-tiered event. Gucci’s five main scarf motifs—flora, fauna, nautical, equestrian, and the GG monogram—will be reimagined on the traditional 90 x 90 cm silk square by nine international artists as part of the 90 x 90 initiative. These reimaginings transform the scarf into a work of contemporary art, fusing pop, conceptual, and street art elements with Gucci’s archive.

 

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In contrast, the book delves deeply into the history of Gucci’s silk artistry. It follows the House’s silk history from its inception in the 1950s, when Gucci first worked with silk craftspeople in Como, to its evolution under a number of creative directors. The book places silk within the cultural, social, and artistic revolutions of the last seven decades, making it more than just a fashion retrospective.

The Tolda di Nave scarf, Gucci’s first collaboration with the Como-based silk maker Fiorio, was created in 1958, marking the beginning of the brand’s silk history. The tone for Gucci’s signature motifs—marine sceneries, equestrian iconography, animalia prints, and the interlocking GG monogram—was established by this item with a nautical theme. By the 1960s, artist Vittorio Accornero de Testa was producing elaborate scarves, the most famous of which is Flora, which he made for Princess Grace of Monaco in 1966. With its 37 hues and 27 varieties of plants and animals, the scarf came to represent Gucci’s skill with silk and creative flair.

The House’s identity quickly revolved around scarves, and their impact spread to ready-to-wear collections. The Marina Chain and Animalia designs, among other motifs, expanded Gucci’s silk vocabulary in the 1970s and 1980s. Since its introduction in 1969, the GG monogram has been a recurrent symbol on scarves, accessories, and clothing.

 

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Gucci’s ties to its history were further strengthened with equestrian themes, such as the Horsebit and the Web. Since the 1950s, these symbols have been incorporated into silk designs, and they are still evolving under modern interpretations, which reflects the House’s classic yet dynamic taste.

Gucci is still a major force in luxury today, constantly reinventing itself under CEO Stefano Cantino and creative director Sabato De Sarno. The brand, which is a part of the Kering Group, embraces bold creative expressions while upholding its heritage of Italian craftsmanship. One thread at a time, Gucci reimagines its future while also paying homage to its past through The Art of Silk.