Or perhaps the other way round. Whichever, the Balenciaga disruptor will move to the brand that has lost its way

Demna Gvasalia backstage after the recent Balenciaga show. Screen shot: systemmagazine/Instagram

We woke up to what could be the biggest news of post-fashion weeks. Denmna Gvasalia is decamping Balenciaga for Gucci. What a move. Is this the fix Gucci pines for? This year 2025 will be remembered for major moves among designers and those who have stepped down, all thought to give the snoozing industry the shakeup it needs. The news that Mr Gvasalia’s moving to Gucci came just hours after the announcement of Donatella Versace stepping down from Versace. The just-concluded fashion-week month has already witnessed many debuts—some strong, some not so—at houses unable to keep a steady place in what has been an unprecedented slowdown in the demand for luxury fashion. One of the biggest victim has been Gucci. It needs to get out of the present rut, fast.

Speculation has been rife about who the next Gucci creative director might be. Top of the list was Hedi Slimane. Mr Gvasalia was not mentioned. Having been with Balenciaga for ten years and made the house his own, many had thought that, like Nicolas Ghesquiere at Louis Vuitton, Mr Gvasalia would continue. But there was something amiss in his last Balenciaga RTW collection—it was spectacularly lacklustre. He must have known that he was leaving or would be transferred to another brand within the Kering group, surely as late as the start of preparing that collection. Even fans thought the designs “lazy”, especially for a designer who practically overhauled the Balenciaga aesthetics, however much he respected them and for whom even T-shirts can be made couture.

Speculation has been rife about who the next Gucci creative director might be. Top of the list was Hedi Slimane. Mr Gvasalia was not mentioned

It is not immediately clear if Mr Gvasalia is right for Gucci.—many are still digesting the news. The Georgian designer does have a strong track record of redefining modern luxury, particularly through his work at Balenciaga, where he also amplified his love of clashing streetwear brashness with more traditional couture forms. This has earned him the reputation of being bold, provocative, with the eagerness to push both boundaries and taste. He is social media-savvy (he has just quickly wiped his IG account clean, for example) and has a history of generating significant buzz and attention, which can be valuable for a brand like Gucci. But, at the same time, many still remember his past controversies, in particular the Balenciaga advertising campaign scandal of 2022, which generated significant backlash for the label. This could present challenges for Gucci, desperate to resuscitate its brand standing.

Mr Gavaslia understands the value of hype and how to use it. He knows how to maximise branding, such as logo use (who buys Balenciaga sweatshirts if not for the logo?). He understands the power of exaggeration, not just in the size of the footwear he designs for Balenciaga that kickstarted the dad shoe craze, but also in the visibility to the uniforms of misfits, as well as those who became popular through the use of crassness, socially and via dress. He knows how to elevate everyday products, from bags to hair clips. At the same time, he is able to intersperse flowers among shrubs—those couture-tinged clothes that send fashion folks into a delirium. Like Alessandro Michele, Mr Gvasalia is a maximalist, although quite differently. One likes it louder and louder, the other, bolder and bolder. And like Mr Michele, he enjoys collaborations, so much so that there was even that pairing with Gucci in 2021, when the Italian brand was “hacked” to yield new intepretations.

Alessandro Michele and Demna Gvasalia at the 2023 Met Gala. Photo: Getty Images

We have been thinking, before this morning’s news appeared on our smartphone notification incessantly, who might be good for Gucci. European houses rarely hire outside of their continent or the USA when it comes to creative directors. Asia came to our mind. Sure, there is Nigo at Kenzo, but that seemed like returning a Japanese name to a compatriot and also to continue LVMH brands’ love affair with streetwear. We have always been admirers of the work of Undercover’s Jun Takahashi and we think he is suitable for Gucci. A look at Mr Takahashi’s autumn/winter 2025 collection would help explain why we think he is ideal. We had initially thought that he would be right for Kenzo. The more we look at his work, the more we think he might be right for Gucci. He is adept at creating merchandise that sells, including trinkets and toys. Undercover stores are such fun places to visit. And he is good with the graphic tee, a category that had placed Gucci in good stead among the young, furious consumers of the entry-level.

The reality is that Gucci’s recent creative direction changes saw, at best, varied results. Their shops have been disconcertingly empty lately. One afternoon, we observed—while waiting at the concourse of ION Orchard for a friend, who was terribly late—the traffic at Gucci and counted only one customer entering the store in 40 minutes. And this trickle has been witnessed in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Gucci needs a turnaround, fast. Mr Gvasalia rocking the fashion world with his debut at Balenciaga in 2016 could suggest that he might be the person to do so. Sure, his very different style to previous Gucci creative directors may raise doubts as to how his aesthetic will be received.  But we think he may be able to balance his signature style with Gucci’s identifiable heritage. If fashion is a narrative, then Demna Gvasalia has said what he needed to say at Balenciaga. The next chapter could well be at Gucci, but, whether he would be a success there isn’t a given. His tenure will be closely watched by the fashion industry. And us, too.

Update (14 March 2025, 20:00): In early trading on the Paris Stock Exchange, Kering’s stock prices fell, Reuters reported. This came after the group announced that Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia, now synonymous with the brand, will move horizontally within the company and be installed at Gucci, Italy’s biggest luxury house, as creative director. The dip in share price was 13% or about US$3 billion in stock market value. It is not clear if this reflects the market sentiment with regards to Mr Gvasalia’s new appointment. Kering seemed to believe that he is the right man to turn the fortunes of Gucci around without considering if he would inspire investor confidence. Let time tell.

Note: Demna Gvasalia will show the Balenciaga couture collection in July, which makes that his swan song for the house