A House in transition, a co-ed collection in retrospect, and no creative director in sight, it begs the question, “Where does Gucci go from here?”
Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, titled Continuum, makes no attempt at reinvention. How could it? With no creative director at the helm and the house at a crossroads, the focus shifts to something more reliable: the past. The show, staged on a runway shaped like the Interlocking G logo, leaned heavily into heritage, celebrating 50 years of the emblem first introduced by Guccio Gucci himself. If the future remains uncertain, the past is a safe bet.
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A Familiar Formula
This isn’t Gucci’s first time operating without a creative lead. After Alessandro Michele’s abrupt exit in 2022, the design team kept the House afloat for four seasons before Sabato De Sarno arrived. Now, history repeats itself. The Gucci design office takes center stage once again, crafting together decades of codes into a collection that feels both referential and transitional.
The House’s signature green appears in a darker, richer shade, reinforcing its deep-rooted identity. The styling leans into a Mod aesthetic—mini skirts and pencil skirts cut sharp and high, sleeves cropped short, and color-blocking dialed up with bold, unexpected pairings. The ’70s make a cameo through aviator-style glasses and lace edges, respectively adding movement and sensuality to the lineup.
The bags like a plush fur iteration of the Horsebit bag bring playful texture, while a weekender-style piece, stamped with a tonal monogram and that unmistakable green-and-red stripe, speaks to Gucci’s roots in travel.
Then, a sparkling, velvet catsuit became the star of the show: entirely at odds with the pared-back minimalism of recent seasons. A nod to the House’s more theatrical past, it stood out against the collection’s structured tailoring and sleek silhouettes. Even without a creative director, Gucci still knows how to put on a show.
Since this is a co-ed show — announced last year to merge menswear and womenswear into one presentation — the men’s looks followed suit. Shimmering shirts peeked out from under vests, textured cardigans added dimension, tailored suits sharpened the lineup, and high-neck sweaters played into the ‘70s references threaded throughout. And yet, the way they carried the bags —clutched at sharp angles, gripped with an almost combative intensity —made them feel less like accessories and more like something to fight with.
A Ghost in the (Gucci) Machine
There’s no trace of Sabato De Sarno’s Ancora Rosso, the deep red that defined his vision of quiet luxury. In fact, his entire aesthetic seems to have been wiped clean, as if his tenure never happened. Whether intentional or not, the omission makes a statement. If De Sarno tried to slow Gucci down, this collection would speed it back up.
Without a singular vision guiding the collection, the clothes feel more like an echo chamber of past ideas. This works in Gucci’s favor—for now. The show celebrates moments intersecting to form a greater whole, and in that sense, the approach succeeds. But after this retrospective, the real question remains: what’s next?
Gucci isn’t lost—it’s in transition. The house has always thrived on strong identities, and after this nod to its legacy, it will need to define what that means for the next era. The Interlocking G may mark a moment of reflection, but soon enough, someone will have to take the wheel and drive Gucci forward.
Photos: GUCCI
