Trehane Taylor – Senior Designer.

“The new logo represents a real step-change in the increasingly homogenous landscape of luxury fashion brands. Whereas brand such as Burberry and Saint Laurent have opted for the ubiquity of capitalised ‘sans- serification’  Gucci have embraced a temporary identity that is stylistically tied to the vernacular of their current F/W 2020 Men’s collection.

In turn, Gucci could well have created a completely new trend for luxury fashion houses; one which leans towards temporal secondary-identities that act as visual representations to specific seasonal collections.

Janey Fry – Design Director.

“This is such an exciting position for an established brand to take.  For me, branding is not a logo – a logo is a useful tool to help express a brands values and promises, so a reaction to Sans Serif Burberry and Saint Laurent route seems like only part of this picture. Apply the same logic to Chanel and designers around the globe would doubtless be up in arms. For me though this simple hand drawn brand represents bravery – a deep understanding of their brand and their base, a confidence in strategy and direction, and an irreverent appreciation that a brand is not defined by its mark. As designers our job is to look holistically across every feasible – and sometimes yet to be invented – touchpoint. Not one defines the brand but all work in harmony to express a deeper meaning to the consumer, connecting them with a purpose and belief.”

Will Rees-Hooper – Strategy Director.

“If high fashion is about anything, it is about challenging convention, experimentation, setting trends, doing the unexpected and making people talk. It takes references from wherever it sees fit and twists, subverts, blends and contrasts those into its own take. This logo certainly does that.  It totally subverts the current execution and expectation of high fashion. Strips everything away and denudes it from an untouchable, impenetrable ivory castle steeped in mystique, into a humble cottage.

In its current execution it contrasts wildly with the high cost of the goods supplied in its stores. How will consumers respond to that? It will be fascinating to see how a more complete brand world is brought to life around this new vision. Will the glitz and glamour be done away with? Will a new story focusing on the craftsmanship be built around the naïve handwritten logotype?

The other question is to do with brand consistency. For decades heralded as one of the main purposes of branded goods, consistency is what set them apart. It made them recognizable, differentiated them and was where the brand value sat. Sure, logos evolved over time but always aimed to remain recognizable and not alienate the existing consumers who knew and loved the brand. This is a totally different, wildly fresh approach. It’s exciting. It’s daring. It’s twisted. It’s outstanding. In short – it’s doing everything that high fashion is all about but applied to their brand and not the catwalk collections.