For the luxury label’s latest cruise collection, creative director Alessandro Michele looked at the cosmos for inspiration
Heavenly bodies graced Gucci’s 2023 cruise runway show as Alessandro Michele designs a collection inspired by the constellations. Dubbed “Cosmogonie,” the 101-piece fashion presentation was held at Italy’s Castel del Monte, a 13th-century castle in Puglia’s countryside commissioned by Frederick II.
Guests were treated to a chic stargazing experience as looks of mixed styles walk down the circular runway. Traversing eras of fashion, “Cosmogonie” presented a merging of retro style and historical elements, making it a parade that didn’t fail to take everyone’s breath away. The collection revealed pieces with oversized collars, tailoring with a twist, filigree flourishes, and optical illusion prints. A skin-baring moment was courtesy of an elegant lace creation that was unexpectedly paired with a ruff typical of the 16th and 17th centuries, and boots imbued with Victorian vibes. To mirror the evening sky, glittery ensembles walked down the runway. Closing the show was a blue piece dotted with constellations, paired with neon gloves.




“Cosmogonie” is also an homage to Walter Benjamin, a German philosopher know for his “Theses on the Philosophy of History.” According to him, history is not a container of relics deprived of their subversive charge, but rather an imaginative praxis reserve. This potential explodes when fragments and quotations of the past harmonize with the present in a brand-new constellation.
“It's not that what is past casts its light on what is present, or what is present its light on what is past; rather, image is that wherein what has been comes together in a flash with the now to form a constellation,” the late philosopher said.
Watch Gucci’s “Cosmogonie” runway show below:
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