Beam Me Up Gucci: New Campaign Takes a Lead from '60s Sci-Fi

FLORENCE, Italy — Gucci's latest advertising campaign — photographed and directed by Glen Luchford, with art direction by Christopher Simmonds — features extra-terrestrial creatures, robots and dinosaurs, alongside models, wearing the brand's signature embroidered wool-cashmere overcoats, animal-printed knits and pearl embellished eyewear from its latest collection. In the campaign, the flock of outcasts are beamed up to a series of psychedelic "Guccified" outer space landscapes and trippy spaceship interiors, creating wild and fantastical compositions referencing cult classic films including "Star Trek" and "Creature of the Black Lagoon."

Gucci Autumn/Winter 2017 by Glen Luchford. TM & © 2017 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks are properties owned by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Source: Courtesy

In a world in which fashion advertising is increasingly made for Instagram — not glossy print magazines — Gucci's latest campaign seems well calibrated to generate online conversation (and no shortage of likes) with its quirky and humorous approach. The campaign underscores Gucci's continued willingness to break free from the traditional confines of luxury brand communication. Indeed, it's hard to imagine the brand's core competitors taking such a playful approach. "The one thing I really love to go against is the idea that you need fashion rules," Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele told BoF's Tim Blanks after Gucci's February runway show.

In the past year, the house has collaborated with New York-based graffiti artist GucciGhost and artist-photographer Coco Capitan, as well as parodied counterfeits of its own products. The moves come as younger, digitally-savvy consumers account for a larger and larger chunk of luxury spending.