Demna’s divisive Gucci debut
Demna showed his first full collection for Gucci — a deliberately 'designed to divide' debut that industry insiders say is reshaping the house’s direction. The collection landed as a bold, polarizing statement at Paris Fashion Week and is already driving conversation about Gucci’s next chapter. (runwaylive.com)
Demna staged his first full Gucci runway show, titled “Primavera,” at Milan Fashion Week on Feb. 27, 2026, presenting the collection at the Palazzo delle Scintille. ( ) Supermodel Kate Moss closed the show in a glittering gown, and the cast also included Alex Consani, Gabbriette, Emily Ratajkowski and Vittoria Ceretti among other high-profile names. ( ) Reviewers highlighted late-’90s, Tom Ford–era nods and tight, second-skin silhouettes as central motifs of the collection, describing its aesthetic as a deliberate return to sex-forward tailoring. ( ) Other critics framed the show as an intentional provocation and a polarizing statement about the house’s direction, with industry roundups noting reactions that ranged from enthusiastic to sharply divided. ( ) The debut arrived against a backdrop of business pressure: Gucci’s revenue fell to €7.7 billion in 2024, down 23% year‑on‑year, and Demna was announced as Gucci’s artistic director in March 2025 with his tenure beginning in early July 2025. ( ) The runway livestream and clips drew wide attention—Gucci’s official Milan show video premiered Feb. 27, 2026 and registered six‑figure views shortly after—and the lead-up was dominated for days by online backlash to four AI‑generated promotional images Gucci labelled “Created with AI.” ( )
