On March 21, Gucci announced their newest cultural project The Art of Silk, a multi-format series which includes a reimagining of their silk scarf collection by several artists, a retrospective book, and a stunning new campaign by the iconic Steven Meisel.

The Florentine luxury fashion house first began producing silk scarves in 1958, working with silk producers in and around Como, a region that claims a heritage of silk production since the 1400s, an example of Italy’s region-based refinement of craftsmanship. The first scarf, “Tolda di Nave”, depicts a nautical scene, a Gucci bag (among other backgrounds) shipside against a warm yellow background. This nautical fantasy continued to evolve into something of a house code for the brand’s scarves in the ’60s under the creative direction of Vittorio Accornero di Testa. Accornero also introduced several other notable designs, including several animalia prints and the canonical Flora scarf. 

A component of The Art of Silk, the house’s 90×90 Project invites nine artists to reinterpret legacy scarf codes, using the classic silk twill scarf format in a square 90×90 centimeters. Artists Robert Barry, Everett Glenn, Sara Leghissa, Currynew, Jonny Niesche, Gio Pastori, Walter Petrone, Yu Cai, and Inji Seo all share individual imaginings that sit within their practices; in particular, Barry’s is a standout—utilizing a pattern of words arranged in a square that change alignment based on the folding and styling of the scarf, the work bridges a critical gap between product and creative endeavor. Gucci has made all of the pieces available for purchase in a limited edition run, along with a book on the world of the house’s scarves, in collaboration with Assouline. 

To round out the release, Gucci released an accompanying campaign on April 1. Shot by Steven Meisel and featuring Julia Garner, the video features Garner sporting the Flora print against a city at night, complete with some incredible movement direction. In the interim between former Artistic Director Sabato De Sarno and the newly-appointed Demna, the house leans into historical moments rather than new products and designs, a clever choice that leaves a clean slate for the brand’s next chapter. 

More about Gucci’s The Art of The Silk can be found here.