Gucci Cosmos

‘Two’ marks the entrance of the second part of the exhibition with a pair of 10-meter-tall white statues. Men’s and women’s suits from Gucci’s past and present projected onto them—staging the ever-evolving relationship that fashion has with the body and gender. Visitors then enter ‘Archivio,’ a series of maze-like corridors reminiscent of the Gucci Archive in Florence lined with a multitude of compartments and drawers showcasing iconic handbags and historic documents. 

 

At the center of this space sits ‘Cabinet of Wonders,’ a monolithic cube covered in deep red lacquer and filled with compartments that mechanically slide in and out to reveal an eclectic collection of garments, accessories, and curios showcasing the breadth of creativity at the heart of the House. Then, in ‘Carousel’, a parade of mannequins wearing Gucci ready-to-wear from the 1970s to the present-day glide smoothly by, like a dance across time. Framing the looks are drawings by a number of Chinese artists, forging a further dialogue and strengthening the creative ties between continents. 

 

The exhibition culminates in Duomo, with two large-scale reproductions of Filippo Brunelleschi’s revolutionary 15th-century dome for Florence’s cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, one positioned the right way up, the other upside down. Inside is an all-enveloping son-et-lumière experience featuring glorious designs. The result is a looping kaleidoscopic spectacle of wondrous patterns and entrancing motifs, a fittingly colorful finale to an exhibition that celebrates the eternal yet joyful values that have driven the House throughout its first century, and now lead it into its second.