Speaking on revamping Gucci & the art of copying.
Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s Creative Director recently sat down with Interview Magazine to gave his rare insight into the art of copying and the luxury Italian brand.
Michele, who took over as Creative Director of Gucci back in 2015 spoke about the line between originality and appropriation, a signature element of his work seen in recent collaborations with GucciGhost and Dapper Dan. In the sit-down, Michele speaks on how he views other designers copying his work, idea camps, the power of connection through art and what actually constitutes a tasteful reference.
Speaking on what interests him about copying, Alessandro Michele said: “Art is about connection. No real artist wants to make a piece and close it in a box so that nobody gets to touch it. In the same way, fashion is about connection. It’s no longer enough to make chic clothes and put them in a boutique. Fashion is supposed to be alive. It comes from the streets, from music, from the club. But to answer your question: This old lady called “fashion” was dying, so designers decided they needed to make the bag of the day. They’d take a piece of art and put it on a bag for no reason. It was just a trick to get people buying.”
On how he feels about others copying his work, Michele explained: “I don’t care. And not like, “Oh, I don’t care—I hate them.” On the other hand, when I look at the people who try to copy me just to create confusion about what’s real and what’s fake, I think it’s a shame because, in a way, it’s like they’re destroying my work. If you try to make the same thing without a soul, it will be trashy and ugly. I’m always trying in a very delicate way to put together things that are dirty with things that are completely clean, things from the bourgeois and things that belong to the ghetto, things that are completely broken with things that are well done. I love when people on Instagram try to find the seed of what I’m doing—even if they’re not always right, they’re often close.“
