Alessandro Michele’s head-turning Gucci show examines identity

Alessandro Michele, creative director of Gucci, has a knack of combining elements from nature, different ethnicities and cultures which attract a cult following. 

With his unique modern sensibilities and understanding of the brand’s historical codes, Michele has been creating a compelling new narrative for Gucci since he was appointed as a creative director in 2015.

The Italian took his design philosophy even further for Gucci’s latest autumn-winter 2018 collection, featuring bold, genderless-looking creations that explored identity.

The collection was inspired by the 1984 essay, Cyborg Manifesto, written by feminist philosopher Donna Haraway, who used the concept of the cyborg to reject the rigid boundaries and encourage women to break the constraints of society’s traditional gender labels. 

The Gucci Cyborg is post-human and has no fixed identity or place of origin. 

Its different designs embodied not only the fashion house's concept of a “pluriverse”, but were also used as metaphor for women’s identity, in support of the possibility of identity liberation. 

During Gucci’s show at Milan Fashion Week, the brand’s handbags, clutches and pieces of jewellery were not the most impressive accessories.