Gucci Debuts Cruise 2024 Collection in Seoul
Sartorial elegance was redefined as a conversation between cultures.
Gucci’s Cruise 2024 show took place in Seoul within the ceremonial courtyard of the 14th-century Gyeongbokgung Palace. Inside the iconic Korean landmark with the city’s futuristic skyline as its backdrop, the collection was as much a marriage between tradition and modernity as it was between Gucci’s Italian roots and South Korean design. As is becoming characteristically Gucci, cultures in conversation are the basis of cosmopolitan dress codes.
Referential to ‘90s formality with definitive streetwear and sportswear influences, looks were self-consciously bourgeois. Austere suiting was animated with neoprene — evocative of the scuba wetsuits worn by Han River windsurfers and jet-skiers — and through the abstraction of South Korean artist Ram Han. Meanwhile, holographic lilacs, crystal knits, and cyber-goth stomper boots evoked a sort of club kid sophistication.
Noting Seoul's bustling skate culture, streetwear sensibilities were evident in deconstruction. Trousers became increasingly voluminous with the pull of a zipper, sleeves were mostly detachable, and bomber jackets transformed into evening skirts.
This is the last collection to be orchestrated by Gucci’s design team before Sabato De Sarno, the brand’s new creative director, takes the helm. Eclectic rather than directionless, the collection’s spirit of hybridization between leisure and decorum was a joyful nod to Seoul’s historical vibrancy. Drawing inspiration from Seoul’s distinctive legacy in tandem with its own, Gucci reinterpreted minimalism in pursuit of a global wardrobe.