"The appointment of à la Alessandro Michele, the quiet Italian creative, to the Gucci team has created quite a buzz in the fashion world owing to his womenswear debut in Milan in February 2015. The ‘multicolored, sparkly’ frocks from that collection have grabbed eyeballs of fashion police. He has been a favourite among celebrities, bloggers, buyers, and editors for his designs – from floral print garments to kangaroo fur lined shoes."

The appointment of à la Alessandro Michele, the quiet Italian creative, to the Gucci team has created quite a buzz in the fashion world owing to his womenswear debut in Milan in February 2015. The ‘multicolored, sparkly’ frocks from that collection have grabbed eyeballs of fashion police. He has been a favourite among celebrities, bloggers, buyers, and editors for his designs – from floral print garments to kangaroo fur lined shoes.

Why is the need for so much drama about the appointment of new creative or major shake ups in the fashion world? Vanessa Friedman explained that products themselves require investment. They are not cheap. Consumers have to believe they will hold their meaning over time. And the meaning is created by the designer.

What it means for the luxury fashion?

The recent announcement has certainly given fellow Italian brand, Prada, a run for its money in terms of being one of the most anticipated and talked-about shows during any given season and has given Gucci another lease of life to become the most favoured luxury brand. It is believed that consumers may just be buying a lot more Gucci than before. The house has posted growth (Gucci revenue advanced 4.8 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2015, compared with the 1.5 per cent growth expected by analysts, as reported in February), whereas its Prada continues to struggle in that regard.

Gucci has taken its newfound fame and capitalized on it, using celebrities as leverage. For the editors and columnists of leading fashion journals, Gucci is the celebrity’s go-to brand at the moment because it’s the hottest brand around, their photos go viral when they wear it, and Gucci is brilliant about working with celebs.

There is also something to be said for making and showing clothes people actually want to wear – something few houses have managed to do quite as well (as indicated by their need to revamp other aspects of their brands, such as the runway schedule and their deliveries, in an attempt to lure consumers back into stores).

Giving a historic touch

Michele has tapped a nerve. He is drawing bits and pieces from many other labels and putting them together, as per the fashion analysts, which is working well for the brand. He has again brought back the social media frenzy for the brand with celebrities and socialites flaunting the Gucci collection in their posts. It seems Gucci is doing it right from every angle: public relations, the right amount of accessibility, celebrity endorsement, street style endorsement, and this season, help from an edgy street artist.

Gucci is the brand for the ultimate maximalist. Pushing perhaps even higher than Miuccia Prada’s label, Michele layers historical reference on historical reference, creating a collection that is a carefully created dressing-up box of aesthetically beautiful and well-crafted clothes. It is expected that with such creations, profits will rise steadily into the double-digit increases. In a landscape that is pushing for more disruption of the traditional high fashion model, including a wider sense of inclusiveness, there is certainly something worth mentioning Michele’s approach.