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On Monday evening in London, Gucci will show its Cruise 2025 collection at Tate Modern, one of four Tate galleries that collectively house the UK’s national collection of art. It’s part of a wider partnership between the pair, that includes a three-year programme supporting young talent as well as Gucci’s sponsorship of the Tate’s Electric Dreams exhibition later this year.
Gucci’s tie-up with Tate follows the Venice Biennale, drawing sponsorship from luxury fashion brands such as Burberry and Tod’s this year. Art fairs Frieze and Art Basel have also been attracting a growing number of fashion players, keen to forge stronger connections with the art world as a way of proving their cultural cachet and reaching new high-net-worth audiences. The attraction is mutual: Tate has been strengthening its association with the fashion world, hosting the shows of Roksanda, David Koma and Harris Reed during London Fashion Week in February.
As the luxury slowdown continues, brands are leaning even harder into these collaborations in order to reach high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). There is also a growing appreciation post-pandemic of the need to build engaged communities around fashion brands, and connect with consumers on an emotional level through their interests in art and culture. However, like with any collaboration, experts say authenticity is key.
Luxury brands have long engaged with art and cultural happenings, but the frequency of involvement and the number of partnerships significantly increased after Covid, says Jeff Lindquist, partner of Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) consumer practice.
London-based designer Rejina Pyo is studying to be a painter and artist alongside running her eponymous fashion brand. She uses her store in the city centre to showcase artworks by emerging artists. “Of course, the relationship between art and fashion is long-standing, but recently — especially post-pandemic — we’ve noticed a significant shift in how we, and other brands, communicate our creative vision and values,” says Pyo. “Traditional fashion shows can sometimes miss the mark, failing to resonate and connect in the ways we want them to, and so meaningful engagement is key for a smaller brand like ours.”
For her, it is no longer solely about impressing the press and buyers, but also thinking about community and engaging with wider audiences. Her brand’s wearers are often “gallerinas”, she says, exploring Frieze and art galleries or entering her store to peruse the art that dresses its walls, as well as the clothing on the rails.
Gucci has a long history of intersecting with the art sphere. Last year it launched its own travelling exhibition, Gucci Cosmos, which presented some of the house’s most-iconic designs — first in Shanghai, and then London. Announcing the Cruise 2025 show, Gucci said the convergence of art, fashion and heritage would “take centre stage”. “This occasion not only celebrates Gucci’s storied history but also reaffirms its commitment to fostering dialogue across diverse cultural landscapes, embodying the interplay of places, people, moments and aesthetics throughout its distinctive narrative,” the brand said in a release.
Reaching high spenders
Partnerships with the art world can shift a brand’s centre of gravity from “aspirational” luxury consumers to HNWIs, says Lindquist. “The ultra-high-net-worth consumer tends to engage in art and cultural events (and many times are buyers at such events), so it is particularly relevant to have high-fashion brands continuing to be present in these settings,” he adds.
The luxury slowdown has hit aspirational luxury brands and retailers harder than those with a focus on the top spenders, often less affected by economic uncertainty and inflation. Hermès and Brunello Cucinelli outperformed the rest of the sector in Q1, while Gucci parent company Kering was hit by falling sales and is bracing for slashed profits in the first half of 2024, partly due to the withdrawal of aspirational shoppers in some markets. Kering is investing in an elevation strategy across its brands, which involves improving the in-store client experience.
A regular host to fashion events, Nilufar Gallery in Milan has held pop-ups with Indian designer Saloni during Salone in 2019, fashion magazine issue launches, as well as jewellery designer exhibitions within its space. “By aligning themselves with the world of art, brands can enhance their image as promoters of culture and creativity. This will help them appeal to discerning consumers who value artistic expression,” says Nina Yashar, the gallery’s founder and owner. “Collaborations with artists and participation in art events provide brands with opportunities to differentiate themselves, generate media coverage and engage with a broader audience.”
Fashion brand Galvan selected La Cité art gallery to host its first-ever presentation at Paris Fashion Week during the AW24 season. Galvan co-founder and creative director Anna-Christin Haas tapped artist duo Hedda Roman to create an AI-generated video screening, which premiered alongside a classical dance performance in the middle of the runway. The music was by Dutch pianist and composer Joep Beving.
“It’s important for us to reflect to our customer where she sees herself. And a lot of women today are interested in art, engaging in that space. We want to be part of those conversations,” explains Galvan CEO Cecilia Morelli. She says that, like art, high fashion has ambitions to be collectable, so benefits from that positioning.
Morelli stresses that, for these partnerships to have impact and longevity, they have to be authentic. “A collaboration is meaningful when it is not just superficial, but tackles the themes first raised by artists,” she says. “When Anna was inspired by Hedda Roman, it wasn’t just about the forms and colours, but about the very questions raised by the artists around AI and the loss of human touch, which fashion also needs to address.”
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