The house of Gucci, with roots in equestrian since 1921 and the mainstay of Kering, has hit a speed bump. The design team is currently at the helm, it’s said that Demna(the incoming designer) may have input for the September 2025 show. Demna, who came from sister brand Balenciaga, will display his first collection in March of 2026. Is this designer change enough to build back Gucci’s momentum?
Ranking 18th on the Lyst Index’s Q2-25 report, down from 17th in Q1-25. Gucci is down by 25%, creating an 18% drop for Kering. Of course, the current turbulence in the economy is an unavoidable factor. Along with general market fluctuations, however, from an outside lens, it seems to be more than just a recession indicator. The least likely culprit would be the changed GC logo, which has a large online discourse of disdain.
Even though Gucci has been around since 1921, they haven’t managed to keep consistent house codes outside of the horsebit detail, monogram, and red and green stripe. Ancora red was going strong for a while, which paired nicely with the khaki color Gucci uses as a base. Ancorra red would also go well if there is an inspiration pull from Tom Ford’s Gucci. Recently, there was a concerning design turn around, creating confusion about Gucci’s direction. This confusion doesn’t help attract new clients to become repeat buyers, and it can potentially alienate current clientele. Gucci works best as a loud house; there’s room to “commercialize,” but “quiet luxury” won’t thrive as Gucci’s core model. It would appear that Sabato De Sarno got a raw deal from Gucci in that regard. It would have been in their best interest to stick with the design team for two solid years to softly usher in their new desired aesthetic.
The recent designer change feels rushed. As far as transferring Demna from Balenciaga to Gucci, it seems as though Kering is fulfilling a contractual obligation, rather than employing a strategy. Balenciaga is a revived house with a “trendy” following, much unlike Mr. Christoball, according to the online discourse. Kering owns brands with similar aesthetics to what Demna is known for, making this transfer seem out of place. It’s rumored that Demna will be referencing Tom Ford’s Gucci, which, from an outside perspective, seems counterproductive. Demna was involved in a sex themed scandal, Tom Ford’s Gucci era is all about Sex and Mystique. Reinforcing the public’s thoughts about scandalized desgins seems counterproductive to reinvigorating Demna and Gucci’s brand. There’s also the lack of relatability between Demna and the Jet Setter persona, which Tom Ford embodies for his branding. Tom Ford’s era was selling a lifestyle, complete with raunchy ads not suited to cleaning up an image. Gucci being the Face of Kering makes this appointment seem unnecessarily risky. Plenty of people are of the opinion to separate the art from the artist, but some are not. Some people are anticipating no longer buying Gucci while Demna is at the helm. There’d likely be less worry had he been placed at a brand like Alaia or McQueen, where his style would adapt with more ease than that of Gucci.
Only time will tell what the actual effects will be. There will always be someone online typing strongly regardless of where they put their dollars. We won’t know much of anything until next year. Even with input on this coming September show, until we see his first full show, we won’t have an accurate gauge of what to expect. If it’s not the showstopper the investors are hoping for, what does that mean for Demna? What are you expecting to see for the new Gucci? Are you planning on buying, or do you simply have a well-thought-out opinion formed from a bird’s-eye view? Comment your thoughts below.
