For its 1st campaign of the year, Gucci is associating its Spring/Summer Cruise collection with author and illustrator Hirohiko Araki. Two very different universes come together within a single epic to celebrate two events: the brand’s 90th birthday and Hirohoko Araki’s 30th.
The Cruise collection, with its light and elegant materials enhanced by loud color schemes, is an enchanting manifestation of Romanticism. Hirohiko Araki’s secret weapon is the heroine of his series “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”, that he created in 1987. He’s even already accustomed to incorporating fashion objects into the plot lines of his adventures.
Hirohiko is writing an original story composed of poetic and dynamic images where you can find all the graphic traits of the manga universe aligned with Gucci’s designs. He uses his heroine to incarnate a young student, Jolyne Cujoh, who inherits a Gucci-branded treasure consisting of an ensemble of emblematic pieces in the new collection, the whole product filled with mystery. And so she embarks on a fabulous journey to uncover the secrets of this sublime heritage. In this incredible epic, Hirohiko adds characters in accordance with renowned couturiers like Gucci: “Frida’s magnificent Cruise Collection, with its colors and affirmed graphic designs, brought my mind to a boil as soon as she presented them to me. From then on, the characters and the plots always came to me naturally. This collaboration has been extremely stiumlating.” says Hirohiko Araki.
The result is fantastic: a poetic epic made of long silhouettes topped off with seasoned fine lines sprinkled with flowers and bright colors. The manga, called “Jolyne, Fly High with Gucci” gives grandiose praise to the Gucci universe and is rife with references to the brand’s history as well as the Italian label itself such as moccasins or the Flora motif. Hirohiko Araki’s illustrations will be displayed in more than 70 of the brand’s boutiques around the world starting in mid-February.
It is without a doubt one of the most pleasant collaborations I’ve ever worked on. The characters created by Hirohiko bring an energy, a sensuality, and an attractiveness that gives life to my Cruise Collection in an irresistible way. I’m convinced that its installation will call out to people and make them stop in every city in the world, and that they will immerse themselves in this fabulous fairy tale world that he created.” – Frida Giannini
It would thus be in good taste to let yourself be blown away by this original manga story.
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