Gucci has earmarked May 13 for the unveiling of its cruise 2025 collection. The show will be held in London, but in sync with the industry trend of divulging the location at a later date and with a separate communication, details about the venue are still not available.
This will be creative director Sabato De Sarno’s first cruise collection, after taking the helm of the luxury brand in January last year.
In a statement, the company said London “pays tribute to Gucci’s profound connection to the British capital, intrinsically linked to the brand’s heritage, and offers new opportunities to delve into the integral role the city has played in shaping the brand’s narrative throughout its storied history as a world-renowned symbol of Italian craft, visionary creativity, and innovative design.”
Indeed, Gucci’s history is linked to founder Guccio Gucci, who in 1897 was a luggage porter and liftboy at London hotel The Savoy. Observing the guests’ luggage, he was inspired to start creating his own line of luxury suitcases and bags, founding his namesake house in Florence in 1921 and setting up the first Gucci store in the Italian city’s Via della Vigna Nuova.
Last year, Gucci staged its cruise 2024 show at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on May 16, marking the brand’s 25 years in the country. That collection was designed by an in-house team, following the exit of previous creative director Alessandro Michele in November 2022.
The show was held in front of Geunjeongjeon, the main hall of the Gyeongbokgung Palace, known for being the main venue for royal ceremonies and for receiving foreign dignitaries during the Joseon Dynasty (1392 to 1910).
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Michele had selected unique locations for Gucci’s then-called cruise collections: Arles, France, at the Alyscamps Roman necropolis, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981, for the cruise 2019 show. Before that, the shows were held in other culturally significant locations, including New York’s Dia Art Foundation, Westminster Abbey’s cloisters in London, Palazzo Pitti’s Palatina Gallery in Florence and the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Gucci committed to preserve these storied sites.
What is known so far of the cruise calendar is that Chanel plans to present its 2025 line in the port city of Marseille on May 2. Louis Vuitton has scheduled its cruise show for May 23, and Dior has announced its show will take place on June 3 in an undisclosed location. Max Mara is planning to present its resort 2025 collection with a fashion show in Venice on June 11.
