It has been over a century since Guccio Gucci worked at the lavish Savoy Hotel in London, which sparked his desire to start his own leather goods company. Today, London continues to inspire the house of Gucci: the Italian fashion brand held its Cruise 2025 fashion show in Tate Modern, right in the heart of the British city.
“We choose London for the cruise show, knowing that was the right choice,” says Gucci creative director Sabato De Sarno. “I owe a lot to this city, it has welcomed and listened to me.”
The Tate Modern, which is one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to contemporary art, also holds a special significance to De Sarno. “Tate Modern is the perfect cross-section to narrate the city’s essence, with its great Turbine Hall that welcomes and gathers everyone, and with the Tanks, generators of ideas,” says the designer.
The “essence” of London, as De Sarno sees it, is duality. This was reflected in the showspace of Gucci’s latest presentation: set against the stark, concrete interiors of the Tate Modern’s Tanks gallery, the fashion brand lined its runway with lush greenery that brightened the space.
More contrasts were seen in De Sarno’s first cruise collection for Gucci. Oversized leather jackets were paired with long, flowing pleated skirts. Outdoorsy short coats cut from technical gabardine were styled with pearl necklaces, embodying the idea of “evening meeting everyday”, as described in a statement from Gucci.
In the opening looks, brown suede jackets were softened with bright chiffon blouses that featured fluttering pussy bow ties—a detail previously popularised by former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele. In fact, the collection seemed to be imbued with Michele’s romantic spirit, or at least, De Sarno’s take on it.
Since his debut collection for Gucci in September 2023, De Sarno has leaned into minimalism and tailoring, while injecting the fashion brand with a good dose of sex appeal. That meant that he had more in common with Tom Ford, another former Gucci designer, than Michele. For Cruise 2025, however, De Sarno took a different approach, saying, “After having expressed my ideas of desirability and sensuality, this is another piece of me, more romantic, more contradictory.”
That explained the cheerful florals seen in the collection which, although it was designed for the cruise season, would also be ideal for springtime. White chamomile flowers were embroidered onto jeans and coats, while 3D flowers bloomed across lace skirts and crochet sets. Gucci ambassador Florence Welch could consider the flowing sheer gowns that closed the show, which came in refreshing green hues right out of an English garden.
The collection, which Gucci described as embodying “Englishness with an Italian accent”, was also marked by British elements. There was plenty of tailoring, which De Sarno is trained in. But there was also the presence of plaid, particularly on the coats. De Sarno also offered up his bold interpretation of checks, recreating them with ostentatious beaded fringe instead.
The accessories were just as glamorous. There were new versions of the Gucci Blondie bag, named for the American rock band fronted by Debbie Harry, who was on the front row. Gucci added a top handle to the leather bag and introduced new colours like green, brown, and Gucci Rosso Ancora, the brand’s signature red hue. (That red is now a hallmark of De Sarno’s collections: on the Gucci Cruise 2025 runway, a few looks came entirely in the sultry shade.)
Models also walked down the runway in beautiful ballet flats—undeniably the trendiest shoes of the year. Gucci’s ballerinas, crafted from suede and leather, came in the same reds, browns and blues seen in the collection, and were embellished with the fashion brand’s iconic horsebit detail.
Longtime fans of the brand will be familiar with that Gucci element, which dates back to the 1950s. In its 103-year history, Gucci has established a wealth of house codes seen in its designs—and now, it is De Sarno’s job to update them for today’s luxury customers. With his cruise collection, the designer proves yet again that he is fit for the task. He says, “I like taking something that we think we know and breaking away from its rules, taking it as far as it can go, without ever distorting it. Bringing it towards its opposite and finding harmony.”
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