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“For 10 years, I tried to impress, and I tried to impress myself. Show that I was a smart designer. At Gucci, I got this sudden rush of emotion. I realized I can create from an emotional space — fashion that triggers emotion and feelings. Either you love it or hate it,” said Demna backstage after his first runway show for Gucci held in Milan’s Palazzo Delle Scintille.
It’s been almost a year since he was announced as the creative director of Gucci during a briefing meeting hosted by now Gucci CEO Francesca Bellettini in Paris. Bellettini, who at the time was deputy CEO of Gucci’s parent company Kering, said of the house: “It’s a company which, whenever you light up that spark of creativity and of artistic vision, performs.”
Gucci has indeed been in need of a spark ever since Alessandro Michele’s departure from the helm at the end of 2022. Over the past three years, largely due to an industry-wide recession, the company’s sales have nearly halved, dropping from over €10 billion in 2022 to around €6 billion in 2025. Making up about 40% of the group’s sales, Gucci is also Kering’s biggest brand, so the stakes are high.
No one can argue that Demna doesn’t have the spark. Through his work at Balenciaga and before that at Vetements, the Georgian designer defined how we all dressed for more than a decade with his oversized silhouettes, streetwear experiments, and “ugly” accessories.
Over the past six months or so, while he explored Gucci’s archives and history, Demna gave us a sense of his vision for the brand through La Famiglia and Generation Gucci — his spring and pre-fall collections, which were both presented via lookbook (although La Famiglia also famously involved a film directed by Spike Jonze and starring Demi Moore). “My Gucci aesthetic is quite body-conscious, both for boy and girl,” he told Luke Leitch in December 2025.
That update of the designer’s own codes was beamed into Palazzo Delle Scintille today, within which a set had been built specifically for the occasion to resemble a museum, complete with replicas of Roman sculptures currently in the Uffizi Galleries.
Kate Moss, Anok Yai, and Alex Consani were just three of the many famous names who walked down the runway, holding pretend cigarettes and real bags at the crook of their elbow — just like Paris Hilton, who sat front row next to her sister Nicky, did in the noughties. The bodies, meanwhile, reminded this writer of Bret Easton Ellis novels, in that the men were comically buff, and the women’s hipbones were sticking out.
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The clothes were skimpy, sensual, and in some cases, sleazy in a good way. There were shiny trouser suits and ultra mini dresses worn with high heels, skinny jeans and men’s one shoulder t-shirts that had been draped to look a little like the tunics on the replica statues.
A very satisfying, very audible “aaaahhh” came out of the crowd as Kate Moss walked by, revealing her backside in a long, thong dress, nodding to Tom Ford’s era at the brand. It was Glamorama meets the noughties meets Ozempic, and it felt like a pretty spot-on picture of our future, or the way we’ll dress for it.
“I tend not to make a judgment on the creative because it’s not my job. But I think I saw a lot of product, good materials, and execution that was at the right level. I saw a lot of codes that are typically recognizable, and I think that’s great for brands. It feels like a kind of courage is coming back. I see this as a very good starting point, and I think we’re going in the right direction. It’s only the beginning of a story,” said Kering CEO Luca de Meo backstage after the show.
But did the other attendees love it or hate it? Here’s what those we caught up with post-show had to say about Demna’s first runway for Gucci.
Judd Crane, executive director of brand and buying, Selfridges
It certainly elicited emotion and is a decisive statement of Demna’s vision for Gucci. It obviously referenced the spirit of the TF years, and its most successful moments were the most rebellious.
Chloe Malle, head of editorial content, Vogue US
The biggest takeaway was that no one knows how to put on a show like Demna. He has such an innate understanding of the theatrical. The casting was fantastic, but also the way he created characters out of the casting. Having one of the male models stop to check his phone, putting it back in the fanny pack, he really creates moments of quotidian life and allows them to take on new meaning and be reinterpreted in unexpected ways. I thought he deployed that so brilliantly today at Gucci. You know, Demna is so good at creating a winking moment — he is always one step ahead of you. But then it’s such a thrill when you catch up to where he is, like having Kate Moss close the show. And then, as she glided by, having it be the back of the dress being a thong, it’s just cheeky enough. Pun intended.
James Boulter, talent agent, UTA
The clothes were beautiful, precise, considered, unmistakably Gucci yet sharpened through Demna’s lens. What he does better than almost anyone is collapse the distance between runway and pop culture. It turned a fashion show into a cultural conversation, and that is where Demna is masterful.
Samuel Hine, global fashion correspondent, GQ
People go where the energy is. And between the front row and the runway alone, it’s clear that Demna has tapped into something powerful at Gucci. It was sort of like that famous Tom Ford Gucci show in 1995, a single moment that totally redefines the brand. And I like that it wasn’t overly conceptual. The clothes were skinny and sexy, and the models had such an intense attitude. I can clearly see these clothes on today’s club kids and internet rappers (several of whom were already there).
Rickie De Sole, VP and fashion director, Nordstrom
Strong nods to Tom Ford-era Gucci by way of the 2000s and a signature Demna spirit. The image of Kate Moss closing the show will have a lasting impact, serving as a sexy segue into Gucci’s next chapter.
Tish Weinstock, writer and model
I thought it was really fab and all the guys were really cool and hot.
Anjelita Labra, Gucci client from Mexico
It was wonderful. I have been buying Gucci for 16 years, and this is the fifth time in a row I am coming to see Gucci in Milan. I loved the gold dress. If it fits, I will be placing an order.
Anna Dello Russo, fashion editor
There was a lightness in everything, which is essential. He was looking for a heritage, the legacy of all the amazing people that came before him. I loved it.
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