Gucci Opens a Museum

Capitalising on its rich heritage, luxury Italian fashion brand Gucci has unveiled a new museum in its native Florence. Housed in the 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia in the busy Piazza della Signoria, it will showcase Gucci’s back catalogue of fashion as well as its private art collection.

The museum fuses the brand’s legacy as a leather goods specialist with its modern, sexy-luxe reputation via a mix of accessories, sporting equipment and modern art. Alongside the museum, there is also a fully stocked Gucci store and a bookshop, directed by Rizzoli publishers.

For the opening reception, a light projection was displayed on the museum’s façade. It featured a bustling Florentine street, alongside the Gucci logo and the slogan ‘Forever Now’ – coined specifically by Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini to encompass the brand’s philosophy of playing the past off against the present.

The opening is another example of shrewd brands learning to embrace the power of the heritage economy – fusing state-of-the-art technology with traditional conservation techniques. Look out for our spaces report on 21st century archives, later in October.

For more on the relationship between fashion and the art world, and for more examples of fashion museums, see our report Fashion and Art.

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