Underground rappers take over Gucci runway

Demna's choice of casting draws from a career-long fascination with elevating everyday and subcultural elements to luxury status. At his own label Vetements, and later at Balenciaga, he consistently subverted high-fashion norms by drawing inspiration from post-Soviet streetwear, internet culture, and even corporate uniforms, turning mundane items like a DHL t-shirt into coveted high-fashion pieces. The rappers themselves—Fakemink, Nettspend, and EsDeeKid—represent a new wave of hip-hop that is largely internet-birthed, blending genres like cloud rap and jerk. British artists Fakemink and EsDeeKid have gained viral traction on platforms like TikTok, with EsDeeKid maintaining an anonymous, masked persona that has fueled online speculation. American rapper Nettspend, born in 2007, also found his initial audience through viral snippets on social media. This collaboration is part of a long-evolving relationship between hip-hop and luxury fashion, which began with figures like Harlem designer Dapper Dan creating custom, logo-heavy pieces for rappers in the 1980s when the industry largely ignored them. Over the decades, artists like Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, and Kanye West have moved from being clients to collaborators and even creative directors for major European fashion houses. Demna, in particular, has a history of integrating music and celebrity culture into his work, having previously collaborated with artists like Kanye West and launched the Balenciaga Music project, which featured playlists and merchandise from artists such as Rammstein and Britney Spears. His debut collection for Gucci, titled "Primavera," marks a significant creative reset for the brand, which had seen declining sales. The show itself moved away from Demna's signature oversized silhouettes, instead featuring a more body-conscious and sensual aesthetic that many critics compared to Tom Ford's celebrated tenure at Gucci in the 1990s. The collection, presented in a grand hall filled with replicas of classical statues, aimed to blend Italian craftsmanship with modern, pragmatic trends. The casting of these underground rappers alongside supermodels like Kate Moss and Emily Ratajkowski serves a dual purpose: it injects a raw, contemporary energy into the historic brand and signals Demna's intention to keep Gucci at the center of the cultural conversation. This move aligns with his stated goal for Gucci to be a "feeling" and a "culture," not just a purveyor of luxury goods.