Spotlight: Dissolving the self

Gucci’s fall/winter 2018 collection is aimed at emancipating us from the grip of identity

Free yourself from expectations this fall/ winter season with Gucci’s collection

We recently had the pleasure of an exclusive sneak peek of Gucci’s fall/winter 2018 collection in Hong Kong, and in the collection, Gucci is truly challenging the disciplinary power of identity. So instead of boxing its work into certain fixed categories, Gucci has decided to forgo the concept of classification and initiate collaborations with unexpected partners like Paramount Pictures, the New York Yankees, and a manga series entitled Viva! Volleyball by Chikae Ide. The result is an entire collection that looks unregulated but which still moves in a cohesive manner as a whole.

From these collaborations, we can see that Gucci’s Creative Director Alessandro Michele has recognised that the regulative strategies in the normal world are seductive and that people tend to stick to certain categorisations to maintain their positions within social structures. So Michele decided to remove all forms of categorisation and spin his creative genius into the brand’s fall/winter collection in which we can see the concept of identity dissolving.

This is a world in which men’s suits can be worn by women and women’s skirts can be worn by men. With such concepts in mind, Alessandro has centred the entire collection on an entity known as the Cyborg: a being free from all kinds of categorisation and classification.

Breaking down identity

Alessandro Michele explores and breaks down the concept of identity, which he considers as neither natural nor a pre-set category. Identity is a concept that can be imposed with violence, as proven throughout history. Because of the idea of identity as a social and cultural construction, the Gucci fall/winter 2018 collection aims to us both choice and invention when it comes to our own identity. Realising the never-ending process of identity, this opens up a field of possibilities for Gucci to explore in the collection.

Creative ambiguity

Gucci’s collection is both ethical and political at the same time. As seen on its sash design, which was inspired by the Pope, the collection represents an invitation to non-conformity towards rules and identity models in society. The collection encourages us to widen ways of thinking that then violate any pre-set categorisations in society. The fall/winter 2018 collection is aimed at making us see things that might seem atypical, anomalous or flawed to obtain a new legitimacy. It wants to give individuals a courageous affirmation of themselves and of uniqueness.

The Cyborg

The entire fall/winter 2018 collection takes the shape of a genuine “Cyborg Manifesto”, as written in an essay by Donna Haraway. In the essay published in 1984, Donna describes the cyborg as a figure that can overcome dualism and differences of identity. The Cyborg is a creature keeping together nature and culture, masculine and feminine, normal and alien, and psyche and matter. The Cyborg conflicts with any category and blends different evolving identities. With these concepts in mind, Gucci transforms a collection that typically features dull and heavy materials into a collection with myriad unexpected materials such as lightweight satin, sparkly tweeds, and jewellery.

Liberate yourself

The Gucci Cyborg is an entity that exists in a state beyond being human: it has eyes on its hands, faun horns, dragon’s puppies, 1960’s manga influences, and cues taken from the New York Yankees and Paramount Pictures, among other characteristics. The Gucci Cyborg is a symbol of emancipatory possibility through which we can decide to become who we are.