{"id":19561,"date":"2021-04-15T13:00:58","date_gmt":"2021-04-15T13:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=19561"},"modified":"2021-04-15T22:10:31","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T22:10:31","slug":"gucci-balenciaga-aria-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/gucci-balenciaga-aria-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"Gucci Aria Isn’t a Full-Blown Balenciaga Collaboration After All, But It’s Pretty Damn Close"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Gucci<\/p>\n

UPDATE, APRIL 15, 2021 EST:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Contrary to popular belief, Gucci Aria is not a full-blown collaboration with Balenciaga, as rumored leading up to the highly anticipated short film’s release this morning. That said, though, Balenciaga designs\u00a0<\/span>do<\/span><\/em>\u00a0make an appearance on Alessandro Michele\u2019s runway and, unsurprisingly, it’s epic. Per the brand, this decision was part of the creative director’s vision of a \u201chacking lab,” in which he experimented with incursions and contaminations on the runway. In other words, he swiped a selection of Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga designs to include in the luxury Italian fashion label’s centennial celebration. Models hit the catwalk in double-take-worthy garments embossed with both “Gucci” and “Balenciaga” logos.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a press statement about the Gucci Aria collection, Michele said the following: “On<\/em><\/span> this occasion, I want to honor my filial affection betraying the legacy handed down to me. Because the promise of a never-ending birth is only renewed through an evolving capacity. Crossing this threshold, I have plundered the nonconformist rigor of Demna Gvasalia and the sexual tension of Tom Ford; I have lingered over the anthropological implications of what shines, working on the brightness of fabrics; I have celebrated the equestrian world of Gucci transfiguring it into a fetish cosmogony; I have sublimated Marilyn Monroe\u2019s silhouette and old Hollywood\u2019s glamour; I sabotaged the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie and the codes of men\u2019s tailoring.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"fashion<\/div>
Gucci Aria runway<\/figcaption>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"Balenciaga<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>Credit; Gucci<\/span><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n

In addition to the Gucci Aria’s collection’s Balenciaga looks, the 15-minute film contains several nods to the House’s history. The video opens with a model entering The Savoy club, a tribute to the label’s founder Guccio Gucci, whose first job was working at the Savoy Hotel in London. This reference also works its way into the collection’s designs on helmets and jackets. As touched on by Michele in his statement, the Gucci Aria collection also includes a red velvet suit inspired by Tom Ford\u2019s iconic number from Gucci’s Fall-Winter 1996 collection. For these references and more, watch the\u00a0 show in its entirety below.<\/p>\n