A few hours ago Gucci came home. Not in a gesture of nostalgia, but in a return to its roots to begin a renaissance. The Cruise 2026 collection landed yesterday at Palazzo Settimanni, a 15th-century building, home to the House's archive, converted into a dynamic space where past, present and future converge. And there was no better place to host Gucci's transitional phase gearing up to the new era with Demna as creative director than Florence, the city that saw the birth of Gucci in 1921 and which is considered the core where the Renaissance movement was born, being one of the world's cradles of art and architecture.
Forty-two looks in which we can see the influence of the archive and the rich history of Florence. Shirts with puffed sleeves and bows at the neck in different colours and fabrics, high-waist leggings in velvet or maxi fur coats, which are mixed with oversized suits and mini dresses in electric blue fur or black feathers. It's all there, crossing decades and references. Details such as the embroidered trims on the necks of shirts and dresses and the presence of the Gucci monogram on skirts, tights, belts and bags, as well as strass stones on shoes, skirts, shirts and dresses, stand out. All this in brocades, jacquards, silks, leather and lace with embroidery, a layering of stories that allows us to take a trip back in time. The chromatic range that invades the collection plays with greens, blues, browns, purples, fuchsias, black, greys and beiges. A game of contrasts that never loses its balance.
The fashion show began by showing one of the rooms in which we can see pieces from the House's archives sheathed and hung, and from there each of the models came out. A walk that invaded three of the building's halls and ended in the outdoor piazza, where the city merged with the collection. Gucci literally opens up to the streets of Florence. The catwalk becomes the street, and the street becomes the catwalk.
And we can't miss talking about the bags. A reinvention of the Horsebit bag that becomes a toiletry bag, a new, softer and more functional construction. And as soon as the show was over, the Gucci Giglio was launched, also present in some of the looks, a new bag that pays homage to the city and the lily (as its name suggests), a symbol of Florence since mediaeval times.
Gucci's legacy of leather craftsmanship is also evident in the collaboration with Pomellato, a high jewellery collection called Monili (meaning ‘jewels’ in Italian), which expresses the philosophy shared by both Houses: craftsmanship. Jewellery inspired by Pomellato's 1984 archival designs in leather, gold and diamond pavé, finished in a necklace and minaudière bag worn at the show.
Florence is part of Gucci and vice versa. It is part of its way of being, of understanding dress and of looking at the world. And if anything makes sense in this collection, it is this intention to constantly mix past and future.
