Gucci Celebrated 25 Years in Seoul with Gucci Cruise 2024

This year, Gucci marked its 25 years of presence in South Korea when the first store was opened, and to commemorate this auspicious event, the Italian brand staged its Gucci Cruise 2024 in Korea. On 16th May, this unforgettable day was celebrated in Seoul most elegantly, with a fashion show called Gucci Cruise 2024 in Seoul's capital. The cherry on top was the venue that made fashion so extravagant and pivotal. The venue was the six-century-old Gyeongbokgung Palace in front of Geunjeongjeon, which used to be the main hall of the palace during the Joseon Dynasty and where all the royal ceremonies used to be held. 

This runway became the third show of Gucci to be held in Korea, and like always, it was a highly anticipated one. Apart from all the glam and the glory, one thing that might be going through your mind right now might be how the brand managed to get the venue for the show because we all can agree that it is a task. It has been reported that Gucci has been making various efforts to get the palace for a show, and they managed to get it in November. However, everything had to be called off after the tragic crowd crush during Halloween week. But then Gucci tried again, and because of its strong alliance with culture and heritage, they got a green signal from Cultural Heritage Administration, which managed the palace. The approval came at the best time to complete 25 years of Gucci in Korea, leading to the Gucci Cruise 2024 happening in the capital.

Like all shows, the Gucci Crusie 2024 was star-studded and glamorous. Through this show, the brand launched its new collection by bringing together the culture and heritage of Italy and South Korea. Through this, it continued to extend its commitment to preserving, sustaining, and promoting the heritage as it was being held and restored. Gucci also shared their decision to host the show in Gyeongbokgung Palace, “ From fashion and beauty to music and art, the worldwide impact of contemporary South Korean culture is a shining example of global connectivity that drives Gucci every day. The collection pays homage to this impact, and on a broader scale, how our wardrobe interacts across continents today.”

The show was decorated with stars who attended the event, including Dakota Johnson, Alia Bhatt, Elizabeth Olsen, Saoirse Ornan, Hanni, IU, Lee Jung Jae, and many more. The Gucci Cruise 2024 also marked the welcome of the new Creative Director of the brand Sabato De Sarno with the latest collection after the departure of Alessandro Michele, making the show even more significant.

Regarding the collection showcased on the runway, the inspiration was primarily taken from South Korean streetwear and street style, along with the multicultural style from around the world. Gucci tried to bring back the 1990s, and there is no denying that they did it very successfully. From bomber jackets of all forms, baggy ripped jeans, puffy vests, wallet chains, and many more. The collection showed both surf and skatewear, which has recently been very prevalent in Gucci’s collection. In the Gucci Cruise 2024, it was seen that the brand also put its steps into the sports arena. Dior and Hermes also lend their expertise in devising and designing the collection. Wetsuits cropped into shirts, dresses, hoodies, along with surfboards.

Clothes were one thing that grabbed all the attention, but Gucci remembered the shoes and made sure that they also made a statement -water shoes with grippy soled neoprene and rubbed wader boots. The scuba boots from Gucci’s archive debuted in Gucci Cruise 2024. “In this digital age, different cultural and subcultural approaches to everyday dressing are now shared globally. These ways of wearing clothes tie us together across cultures and create a global community spirit found in fashion. The collection merges the wetsuits of the Han River windsurfers with the skirt suits of bourgeois dressing and the tropes of the skateboarding uniform with formal tailoring.” shared the house about the collection. Gucci handbags also were a bold statement in the show with new forms like the Horsebit chain bags; the archived minimalist bags was introduced with new interpretation and color, fabric, and ornaments.

The anticipation, vibrancy, and generosity of Gucci Cruise 2024 were heightened and were made to be assumed a success when the trailer of the show was streamed, starring the global ambassador Hanni, Kai, IU, and Mina Shin. At the birthplace of Hangul, celebrating the birth and 25 years of Gucci was just the right and apt way of celebrating the brand and the country because both got the opportunity to bring the history and past and merge them with the present and the future. Fashion was made to respect and promote heritage, global culture, and diversity.

With the new collection in the runway show of Gucci Cruise 2024, the brand that opened its first flagship store in the form of a boutique in Seoul in 1998 proudly demonstrated that fashion is not just about clothes but can also be a way to honor culture, heritage, bring several cultures together and bring about a global community through creativity by managing to have a full-on glamorous, sophisticated fashion show in 626-year-old Gyeongbokgung Palace of Joseon Dynasty that has history written on its wall and now will have one more memory etched on it for the years and generations to come.