Gucci holds onto traditional show format as Kering rejects see-now, buy-now
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London - As a number of fashion houses, such as Burberry, Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger announce plans to merge their fashion shows and align their collection launches in order to satisfy consumers demand for instant gratification, one fashion conglomerate takes a stand. Rather than following its luxury peers, Italian fashion house Gucci is set to remain loyal to the traditional fashion calender schedule and structure, as parent company Kering rejects the new direct-to-consumer trend.
According to Francois-Henri Pinault, Chief Executive Officer of Kering, Burberry's plan to consolidate its collections and runway shows whilst moving into a see-now, buy-now business model "negates the dream" of luxury. Speaking to Bloomberg, he stressed how the current fashion show format, which sees consumers around the world waiting six months to purchase a collection shown a season earlier, "creates desire" among shoppers.
Gucci rejects direct-to-consumers fashion model in lieu of traditional show
Although Pinault viewpoint may seem old-fashioned to some, with former Gucci creative director Tom Ford previously calling the traditional fashion model "an antiquated idea that no longer makes sense", the CEO believes that their format is best suited to the DNA of the Gucci brand itself. "There are some brands for which a runway show is a communications event," he said. "Burberry has doubtless decided what suits it best. What we will decide will be what suits our brands and our vision of luxury."
Considering how well Kering and its group of luxury labels are faring, in particular Gucci, his decision seems to a wise one. The Italian conglomerate latest financial results revealed a solid growth in the last quarter of the year, which was driven by the strong demand for Gucci's new visual direction introduced by creative director Alessandro Michele last year.