Demna’s unexpected move to Gucci: A new era for the Florentine house

The shock announcement on Thursday of Demna’s appointment at Gucci was a fashion marriage many did not see coming. After months of speculation about who would replace Sabato De Sarno—would it be Hedi Slimane, who had reportedly already gone real estate shopping in Milan, or another number two who had been flying under the radar, like the earlier appointments of Alessandro Michele and De Sarno? It has now become clear that Kering chief François-Henri Pinault wanted a designer who could make a splash, whose vision would recapture the brand’s market share and ignite brand heat.

Gucci chief executive Stefano Cantino and Kering deputy C.E.O. Francesca Bellettini described Demna as a fashion industry authority, someone who, after ten years at Balenciaga had the proven skills to lead the group’s most important house, and who was likely ready for a new challenge.

Gucci’s turnover has suffered since consumers became fatigued with Mr. Michele’s whimsical and maximalist propositions, and momentum has yet to return. De Sarno arguably had one of the hardest jobs in fashion when he was appointed Gucci’s creative director in 2023. It did not help that during his short tenure, there were three CEOs and even more marketing chiefs in rotation. It was, perhaps, always an interim role—unless, by sheer miracle, a fashion rocket was fired. But it never was.

Demna, of course, has a broad technical knowledge, having cut his teeth at Martin Margiela and Louis Vuitton under Marc Jacobs. When he launched his own brand, Vêtements, with his brother Guram Gvasalia as C.E.O., he finally made inroads into fashion’s elite designers. Both novel and political, Vêtements caught the eye of retailers and consumers and is credited with popularising streetwear and the wide jeans and oversized T-shirt aesthetic that became a cultural mainstay.

The East European thrift shop aesthetic was elevated at Balenciaga, where Demna honed a new silhouette, from bold shoulders and oversized tailoring to the now-ubiquitous dad sneakers—a transformation that took the brand from 350 million euros to 2.5 billion euros in less than a decade.

Some of Paris Fashion Week’s most notable fashion shows came from the house of Balenciaga. In September 2018, the runway was designed to look like an infinite digital blue tunnel, created by artist Jon Rafman. The floor was covered in a thin layer of water, giving the illusion that models were walking on water as they moved through the immersive, futuristic space. This show was part of Demna Gvasalia’s ongoing experimentation with set design, technology, and avant-garde fashion presentations.

Another show saw models portrayed as refugees; just after Russia invaded Ukraine, Demna’s deeply personal and politically charged presentation captured a moment in time.

Controversy

Of course, the brand and its creative director were not short of controversies. Product-wise, the trash bags carried by the refugees—a reminder that people are often forced to flee with no more than a bag of belongings—were rendered as highly expensive leather iterations. Similarly, the iconic blue Ikea bags were given a Balenciaga makeover with price tags to match, with Demna elevating the most basic of cheap consumer goods into high-end products. Balenciaga became a house that brought the logo back—a hit with consumers but less so with fashion editors and tastemakers.

When a disastrous advertising campaign backfired in 2021, many thought the brand and its star designer would be canceled. But Kering stood by its designer—at the same time that it parted ways with Mr. Michele at Gucci—and could perhaps not afford to lose two star creatives. Either way, both the brand and Demna bounced back, even as post-pandemic sales at Kering lagged behind other luxury groups.

Balenciaga relaunched haute couture in July 2021 with the 50th Balenciaga Couture Collection. The avant-garde tailoring, ball gowns, and oversized volumes Demna proposed were mixed with elevated streetwear, proving that the Georgian designer could master real clothes, not just fantasy creations for the red carpet.

Demna is perhaps a designer who invokes a love-or-hate relationship. The hulking shoulder silhouette and the non-traditional models cast in Balenciaga’s shows were not universally embraced. The clothes were often seen as parodies of an ugly aesthetic or gimmicky, depending on the reviewer. A DHL logo T-shirt at Vêtements, triple-soled Crocs, a trash bag, or the heavily destroyed sneakers that retailed for 1,450 euros—these were polarizing to say the least.

But while tastemakers balked and critiqued, consumers and fashion enthusiasts lapped it up. The products sold at retail.

A new era and new aesthetic?

Kering has stated that Demna’s proposal for Gucci will be different from Balenciaga. The Florentine house has a long history of producing exquisite leather accessories and a more approachable aesthetic in ready-to-wear. Under Tom Ford, it was one of the sexiest luxury brands on the market. Demna does not do sexy, nor does he do whimsical, like Alessandro Michele. However accomplished his technical skills, Demna’s audience has mostly been privy to streetwear iterations, the East European thrift shop chic look, and exaggerated tailoring.

It remains to be seen whether Demna’s design DNA will be similar at Gucci and, if so, whether that could work. Or will his proposal indeed be different? One thing is for certain: Demna’s currents are more subversive than mainstream. You cannot imagine him launching a perfume called Gucci Gorgeous Gardenia, yet that is part of the house he is inheriting.

Demna will begin his tenure at Gucci on July 1, following his final Balenciaga haute couture show.