Cruising Eastbound

Crossing the border into fashion’s new playground, Gucciphiles get an insight into the Seoul idea. 

- SHRIYA ZAMINDAR

THE CAPITAL OF K-pop is an exciting place to be. You'll find kitschy cat cafes, grocery stores with ramen stations and beauty clinics disguised as hotels that serve products on their buffet. It's just a sliver of the hyper-modern identity of Seoul. On the other hand, South Korea's hottest metropolis also has beautifully preserved history visible in its grandiose palaces and heritage sites. In the Hongdae locality, a fashion street of sorts, young graduates have set up shop, selling the finest quality garments for a bargain. And while there's that, you'll also see locals casually carrying the trendiest of luxury bags with tweed jackets and skirts. The city offers a clear dichotomy of cultures, a wonderful clashing of ideologies that ultimately answers why Seoul sat at the top of Gucci's wish list of destinations for cruise 2024.

With Alessandro Michele's exit and newly appointed Sabato De Sarno's debut collection in September this year, this showcase in the interim came at a unique time. The velocity of Gucci's success, in part, lies in its epic selection of creative directors who dictate the mood at the brand. With Tom Ford it was sex appeal, sleek leathers and musk while with Michele it was all about retro-era geek-chic and flower girls. Through this transitioning period, an element that remained constant was the original opus of celebrating culture. And Gucci has its own: it's a state of mind, a thought process that goes beyond the needle and thread and the refashioning of identities under different creative heads.