Spectacular journey to Alessandro Michele’s world of imagery at ‘Gucci Garden Archetypes’

Installation view of “Gucci Garden Archetypes” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Design Museum in central Seoul (Gucci)

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Italian fashion brand Gucci’s founding last year, the fashion house has recreated its creative vision and legacy through “Gucci Garden Archetypes,” an immersive and multi-sensory space curated by its creative director Alessandro Michele.

Starting with its first showcase in Florence, the traveling exhibition has landed in Seoul, its sixth stop. As mentioned in Michele’s description of the exhibition, the immersive multimedia world is an “explicit journey” that explores the creative director’s vision.

Thirteen of the brand’s most visually striking advertising campaigns envisioned by Michele in his six and a half years at the helm of Gucci are on display at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Each of the 14 rooms takes visitors on a trip to a breathtaking world, from Gucci‘s Fall-Winter 2015 campaign to the Spring-Summer 2020 campaign.

Installation view of “Gucci Garden Archetypes” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Design Museum in central Seoul (Gucci)

A control room decorated with a constellation of screens opens the window into the multiverse of Michele’s creative direction. A scented imaginary garden of Gucci Bloom follows, filled with the floral accents of the fragrance that was launched in 2017.

With cutting-edge technology and innovative interior designs, “Archetypes” features various stages including Paris, Los Angeles, the era of Northern soul in the late 1960s and the Paris riots of May 1968 with young people building mythical arks, space explorers, horses, angels and aliens. It showcases a variety of inspirational figures featured in Gucci’s campaigns.

Installation view of “Gucci Garden Archetypes” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Design Museum in central Seoul (Gucci)

A room wallpapered with graffiti reminiscent of Michele’s pre-Fall 2018 collection is a standout. An homage to the Paris riots of May 1968, the site was created in collaboration with top Korean graffiti artist BFMIN, adding slogans and messages of young Parisian rioters. The uniquely designed space is only shown in Seoul.

The exhibition runs from this Friday to March 27 at the DDP Design Museum in central Seoul. It opens from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday to Sunday. Admission is free and online reservation through Naver is required. An online virtual tour is also available.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)