Conservative Turn. Gucci SS27

September 26, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

When Demna was announced as Gucci’s new creative director, the industry collectively assumed that a renaissance was coming. After all, this was the designer who had changed the way fashion looked over the past decade – turning hoodies into statements, oversize into a norm, and luxury itself into something to be questioned, parodied and reinvented.

Yet recreating that alchemy is not easy. In Milan, Demna presented his latest Gucci collection inside a replica of the brand’s flagship store, supposedly returning to the house’s roots. There were attempts at Tom Ford-era sex, echoes of Frida Giannini in the jet-set tailoring and equestrian moments, and none of Alessandro Michele’s warmth. What remained was something colder, more calculated – and strangely nostalgic for 2009, when fashion was very white and very thin. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Gucci Silk-satin Mini Skirt

Gucci Cropped Silk Jacket

Gucci Castello Patent-leather Sandals

Gucci Jackie 1961 Leather-trimmed Printed Coated-canvas Shoulder Bag

Gucci Silk-satin Blazer

Money, Power, Glory. Gucci Resort 2027

May 18, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

We live in the age of mutated hyper-capitalism, where your face (“rich face” vs. “old money face” discourse is insane) defines status more than carrying a crocodile-leather Birkin; where your favorite TV series are all about money (from Your Friends & Neighbors to Industry via Landman); and where Mar-a-Lago goes to fashion shows by designers who once flirted with communism. In his first seasons for Gucci, Demna very clearly orbited around the style of today’s 1%, but his work often felt disturbingly celebratory of the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchezs of the world. But his resort 2027 show, which aggressively took over Times Square, makes you feel somewhat hopeful that the designer is back in his critical-thinking mode – the one that made his Balenciaga so powerfully ironic and highly entertaining. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Gucci Shift GG Canvas Low-Top Sneakers

Gucci Borsetto Medium Leather And Webbing-trimmed Canvas-jacquard Shoulder Bag

Gucci Bombshell Leather Pumps

Gucci Flora Printed Silk-twill Scarf

Gucci D-frame Acetate Sunglasses

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Regime. Gucci AW26

February 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Everything about Demna’s Gucci runway debut made me feel nauseous. The monumental, neo-classicist venue designed by Sub.Global felt deeply discomforting to me – it immediately evoked Mussolini-era architecture, the kind that asserted power and signaled the omnipresence of a totalitarian regime. Playing with such tropes simply doesn’t sit right, especially in the context of figures like Giorgia Meloni shaping current politics. I was genuinely surprised that nobody else said this out loud. But then again, I suppose it’s easy to turn a blind eye when it’s convenient.

And what about the clothes? To me, they suggest that Demna – a designer I truly admired during his Balenciaga years – is at a creative standstill. Or downfall. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Demna On Tom. Gucci Pre-Fall 2026

December 4, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Looking at Demna‘s sophomore collection for Gucci – the pre-fall 2026 lookbook – I can’t help but wonder: will this brand ever give Tom Ford’s archives and identity a rest? From the images shot in Ford-era, runway-style dimmed lighting to the general sultriness emanating from the clothes and their cosplay-like styling, this feels like yet another studio-designed collection made simply to fill the stores. Knowing Demna’s capacity for concept and irony, venturing into Tom Ford territory this straightforwardly feels a tad too early – and far too unchallenging.

Don’t get me wrong: the collection does have strong moments, especially in the menswear. The 2000s footballer aesthetic is back and fully alive in the V-neck T-shirts (my personal nightmare, but fine – we live in a @gettyimagesfanclub-lensed world). The tackiest-looking monogram-merch bags are everywhere (and somehow feel cool), and I love the men’s ballet flats paired with very basic denim and a trench-coat-buttoned-to-the-top. There’s definitely some wit here. Metrosexuality is in.

But the womenswear? I find it as shallow as Demna’s September debut. It has neither the sass nor the sauce. If this is truly what the new Gucci is, I’m seriously concerned.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!

Soft Launch. Gucci SS26

September 23, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Unfortunately, Demna’s soft launch at Gucci didn’t feel like the vitamin C boost I was hoping for as I’m fighting the traditional, September flu. Yesterday, I watched influencers and insiders bend over backwards to intellectualize and extract meaning from the former Balenciaga designer’s debut at the Italian, Kering-owned brand. The result? A soulless lookbook shot by Catherine Opie, awkwardly photoshopped into tacky frames (as one of my followers aptly noted, it gives serious Anna Dello Russo 2010 vibes). The clothes – Tom Ford-esque leathers, diva gowns, fur coats, silks in ‘Flora’ print – will be available in select Gucci boutiques next week. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.