Is Gucci reviving the see-now-by-now retail model?

Dick Lee in Gucci. Photo: dickleeparadise/Instagram

A couple of hours ago, Dick Lee (李炳文) shared on his Instagram page a photo of himself in a set of new Gucci threads. Yes, it was, as he rightly headlined the image, “Gucci by Demna”. The photograph showed him wearing an indiscernible black shirt and black pants, but a blatantly obvious Gucci chore coat with the GG Supreme Canvas repeated pattern, which, in the film, The Tiger, to mark the launch of Mr Gvasalia, was described by Demi Moore’s character responding to a look during a so-called fitting: “too much beige”. But Mr Lee, a sporadic fashion designer, knew how to temper the potentially excessive beige; he paired it with black. The typically undemanding became uncharacteristically commanding.

Mr Lee told his followers that he was at a Gucci store at ten in the morning, a shopping hour totally alien to him, “but being a Gucci fan I had to be early to view the highly anticipated first collection”. He was attending the preview of the new merchandise at the MBS flagship that was also graced by Mediacorp stars such as Zhang Zhetong (张哲通)—without his buddy Tyler Ten (邓伟德)—and the Thai actor/singer Putthipong ‘Billkin’ Assaratanakul (you can imagine the screaming outside). That the La Famiglia collection—“limited pieces” were available to buy—has hit the store here was rather as expected as an eggless fried rice. Mr Lee was one of those who managed to “got me some stuff”, presumably what he was wearing. A fashionista waits for no season, only the camera.

Zhang Zetong not horsing around. Photo: zetongteoh/Instagram

The collection’s first drop was reportedly released in select stores worldwide on September 25th, the same day as the premiere of The Tiger during Milan Fashion Week. Singapore is apparently among ten cities to receive the “exclusive” pieces. This is a significant shift for Gucci from the usual fashion industry timeline, where a runway collection is available only months after the presentation. It is necessary shift as, this season, many other brands will be launching debut collections of new creative directors. Gucci needs to be ahead to reduce the drag of competition. The rush to market, once known as “see now, buy now” (or SNBN), also capitalises on the hype and immediate customer demand (so wonderfully expressed by Mr Lee) that a Gucci rebranding is expected to generate. Gucci stores have been so woefully empty these past months that looking at the MBS outlet earlier, you’d think they were giving away free clothes.

Perhaps more importantly, Gucci has nailed the psychological and social aspect of this strategy. It is not just about logistics and sales; it’s about feeding the ego of the modern luxury consumer. The immediate availability of the collection allows them to be the “first mover”, to be the earliest to establish their influence online (just as Dick Lee did, only that it was, in his case, really temporal). Even stars love fast fashion. See now, buy now is not merely transactional. For Gucci, it turned a purchase into an event. The customers weren’t just shopping; they were participating in an orchestrated moment of cultural significance. They can say, “I was there” when the new era of Gucci began. A brand isn’t just a seller of goods, it’s a curator of moments.