Gucci has always played with identity, but here it stages identity as theatre. With the Gucci La Famiglia collection by Demna, Catherine Opie’s lens captures the house’s man inside gilt and baroque frames, not as anonymous models but as familiar types. Each figure is a caricature elevated to dynasty, the stereotypes of Italian masculinity pinned like butterflies and yet posed as heirs.
The Direttore stands in his suit and aviators, halfway between CEO and bodyguard, while the Pesantone slouches in black silk, ennui turned into a calling card. A Nerd in leather and ribbon looks like he walked out of an after-school special and straight into style aristocracy, while the Narcisista bares his chest in disco-white shirting.
These labels, such as Introverso, Cocco di Mamma, Figo, Principino, and Androgino, function less as descriptions. They are heritage codes threaded through humor. Horsebit loafers drag on the floor, a GG-monogram bag becomes a cross-body security blanket, a Bamboo 1947 purse is carried like a trophy.
The irony lies in the styling. Jackets worn with nothing beneath, sandals paired with pajama suiting, sheer shirts draped like lingerie. Gucci refuses to let convention sit comfortably. Exaggeration is the point.
Identity itself is the accessory, a character to be picked up and tried on. Under Demna’s eye, Gucci trades subtlety for satire, turning Italian archetypes into luxury currency. The family album becomes a mirror and a reminder that style is never fixed but always performed.
Gucci La Famiglia Collection
