International fashion power house, Gucci, a Florentine brand, is working on a multi-faceted cultural project with the Uffizi Gallery and the city of Florence. This is where it will hold its Cruise 2018 fashion show in the Palatina Gallery of the Pitti Palace. The fashion show will take place on May 29th and will be the first to be staged in this part of the historic building. 

Florence and Tuscany is the brand’s beating heart: the craftsmanship and skills found in this area have been crucial to successfully supporting Gucci’s new creative push. Gucci will continue to invest in this area through a series of initiatives supporting history, art and the city’s environment and its top institutions. It will do so in the spirit of social and environmental responsibility and with the goal of strengthening its leadership position and becoming a model organisation within the fashion business.

This cultural endevour with the Uffizi Gallery is called “Primavera di Boboli”, or Spring in the Boboli Gardens. It is under the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism and with funding from the Municipality of Florence.

Gucci will contribute Euros 2 million to the project, to be paid to the Uffizi Gallery over the course of three years. The 33-hectare Boboli Gardens are a unique green space that encompasses sculpture, architecture, landscaping and plants. The gardens date back to the late Sixteenth century and their unique ecosystem includes plants that were brought to Tuscany centuries ago from all over the world.

Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci, says: "This collaboration represents a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and sustain Florence's cultural splendour and I would like to thank all the institutions that are involved. Gucci is a global brand with strong roots in Florence. The success we have achieved in recent years through the vision of our Creative Director, Alessandro Michele, is reliant upon the skills, spirit of innovation, passion and abilities of the craftspeople and everyone else who works for the brand in Florence and the surrounding area." Bizzarri continues, "following the presentation of the last two Cruise collections, in the art district of New York in 2015 and in the cloisters at London’s Westminster Abbey in 2016, staging the next Cruise collection show in the heart of Florence has special meaning, particularly as Alessandro is constantly inspired by the city's renaissance masterpieces."

Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Gallery, also points to the crucial importance this project has for the legacy that the gardens represent. He says: “We are truly grateful to Gucci for having chosen the Palatina Gallery at the Pitti Palace with its very rare treasures of European painting as a backdrop for its exceptional creativity. We are equally grateful for the commitment to Florence that Gucci has shown with its participation in the Primavera di Boboli project, which literally will give new life to the gardens and make them once again Italy’s answer to Versailles." 

Dario Nardella, the Major of Florence, comments: “It is an honour for Florence that a Florentine brand, almost 100 years old, ambassador of creativity, quality and made in Italy, has selected the city of its origins for such a beautiful and cultural project that highlights our artistic and natural heritage.”

The Gucci Cruise fashion show will offer a true sensory experience that goes beyond the visual. Guests will gather in the Palatina Gallery at the Pitti Palace as part of a unique journey through the marvels of Renaissance Florence. Further information will be available at a later date.

In the Philippines, Gucci is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Greenbelt 4 and Shangri-La Plaza East Wing. Follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.