It’s been a refreshing year for fashion house spokespeople, and the trend of talented it-girls (read: not party people by trade) continues with the naming of Florence Welch as the inspiration for Gucci’s autumn/winter 2011 campaign.
As explained by designer Frida Giannini, the singer evokes the confidence necessary to be a Gucci name, according to Vogue UK, the designer elaborated on her decision: “As I was imagining this collection I was thinking of a strong and somewhat mysterious muse. Florence is that kind of woman. I met her in Los Angeles at this year’s Grammys and was captivated by her presence. She has a powerful personality and an entrancing quality to her performances. She also has that confident and self-assured look that goes hand in hand with the Gucci woman.”
This isn’t the first time Giannini has gone with burgeoning talent, either. For previous campaigns, she’d handpicked Mark Ronson, Rihanna and James Franco (because let’s face it – he’s everywhere), and wasn’t shy about her knack for picking up on soon-to-be household names when speaking recently to Dazed Digital: “I chose to work with all three of them before they became as popular culturally as they are today. I think Gucci has been successful in bridging past and present. We have a rich and storied past, but we always have an eye to the future, which these collaborations represent.”
She speaks the truth. But let’s be real: design houses have been super keen on featuring young, interesting talent as of late – perhaps in an attempt to keep us less designer-inclined (let’s hear it for the ‘trying to make it on your own’ 20-something demographic!) tuned in to the trends. Or maybe they just know great face when they see it.
