Channel 4
We all love the bits and pieces in our wardrobes that make us stand out. As long as we can fit our favourite accessories in and out, that is. But the only problem with this solution, as each of our accessories takes up space, is that we never actually wear them. This new show on Channel 4 called House of Gucci looks at how the luxury label views accessories and how fashion’s obsession with wardrobes (and the idea of displaying them in a space designated as ‘a house’) has led to an issue where a brand whose main flocks are all buying clothes not accessories is essentially asking people to say they wear bags.
This show has been filmed with the brand’s collaboration with BT Sport next to a BMW i3 car – a lot of the modern house of Gucci has been designed in collaboration with the car giant. The journey is narrated by award-winning journalist and writer Jonathan Ross. And this seems like a clever piece of archiving, for here, your sense of escapism kicks in as much as anything else. As he drives to Milan, and then Rome and then Paris, he brings up images of luxury boutiques and shows how much space there is devoted to labels for accessories. It’s an evocative way to see the Made in Italy brand positioned in a glassy, wealth-focused age. Ross says: “You can think of it as us having an extreme case of the house of Gucci syndrome. They really want you to feel they’re in an environment. So often, people in super-rich cities are attracted to art deco hotels, for example, because they’re not cramped, and they can lose themselves.”
Ross also talks to designers at the company, from the Italian chief of design Alessandro Michele to the British lead creative Caroline Rush and the UK chief executive Francesca Bellettini. Watch the whole thing to find out what it’s like behind the scenes. Or, just imagine your wardrobes.