Last week, during Milan Fashion Week, the designer Demna quietly made his way down Via Monte Napoleone, the city’s luxury shopping artery. He walked past Balenciaga, the brand for which he served as artistic director from October 2015 until March of this year, without stopping. Instead, he ducked into the Gucci flagship, where his first collection for the brand hung on the racks.
After debuting his collection with a splashy short film premiere last Tuesday, the clothes were available to shoppers the following day by appointment. Kering, Gucci’s parent company, has no time to lose. In July, it reported a 25 percent drop in Gucci sales in the second quarter and a 15 percent drop in business overall. Demna needs to sell stuff, fast.
At the store, he wore new Gucci loafers but otherwise appeared to still be dressed in Balenciaga, as did members of his team, who stood out like goth thumbs in a sea of gilded G’s. Some shoppers recognized him and asked for a selfie. But many in the room — even those browsing his work, which was displayed in its own section of the store with brown carpet, velvet curtains and darker lighting — did not realize they were in the presence of its designer. He stayed to check on things, then left.
It was a perfect snapshot of the state of luxury shopping today, which is in the midst of a historic upheaval, aesthetically and economically. Some customers, worried about making a premature investment, are holding off on buying until the dust settles. On the day of the Jil Sander show, the label’s Milan flagship, which was filled with work by its previous artistic directors, was almost empty. Others don’t know or simply don’t care.
Diane Golan and Jane Kilcullen, two shoppers from the United States, walked out of the Gucci store on Wednesday not knowing they’d purchased something by Sabato De Sarno, the label’s previous artistic director, who lasted only a few seasons. But it wouldn’t have affected their decision, anyway. “We’re too old to get swept up in all that,” Ms. Golan said.
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