One of the main aspects that intrigue me about fashion as an art form is its ability to go beyond industry convention and perception in order to surprise.
Last year, we saw a video game protagonist modelling for Louis Vuitton, and an ensemble made from Alexander McQueen’s cloned skin cells. But while Gucci’s Fall-Winter 2017 campaign, Gucci and Beyond, is neither as innovative nor controversial as either of these two projects, it does what fashion does best: it weaves a story.
This story is one of monsters and mayhem, inspired by the early days of cinematic science fiction. Humans throw spears at a stop-motion T-Rex that looks strikingly similar to those designed by Ray Harryhausen for One Million Years B.C. Two figures walk alongside a robot, the sight of which will inspire viewers to shout “Danger, Will Robinson!”. Two women run across an open field towards a UFO which is only slightly larger than the brim hat one of them is wearing.
What’s most surprising is how well the scenes match their source materials, which also include the likes of Star Trek, Forbidden Planet, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Gucci, Creative Director Alessandro Michele, and director/photographer Glen Luchford can stay true to this inspiration because the collection stays true as well (except for maybe the ridiculously long fingernails on the alien navigator. I’m not sure how she avoids pressing multiple buttons at once). For those who think sci-fi and other elements of nerd culture are about as far removed from high fashion as they could possibly be, Gucci and Beyond proves them wrong.
The campaign was originally teased back in April, when a series of interviews with diverse alien cast members were posted on Gucci’s Instagram account.
