As soon as news of Alessandro Michele’s departure from Gucci hit the internet last month, tributes began pouring in on social media. “He made magic!” Tracee Ellis Ross posted on Instagram in a video of her wearing a sparkling Michele feather at LACMA Art + Film Showing off on the gala red carpet; Harry Styles’ longtime stylist Harry Lambert posted a photo of the singer at 2019 A photo of a Gucci floral suit worn at the American Music Awards — the first of many (many) Styles-Michelle collaborations — comes with a caption that reads, “Where did it all begin.” But Of all the accolades for the Gucci creative director to emerge from relative obscurity to lead one of fashion’s most talked-about transformations, Michele’s contributions to the beauty world are far from enough. If his magpie creations and eclectic eccentricity for vague gender norms and time stamps rocked the fashion world, it forever changed the way cosmetics and fragrances are bought, sold and enjoyed.
It’s worth the reminder that Gucci Beauty existed before Michele took the reins seven years ago. Allow me to take you back to 2014. Kim is married to Kanye, Gwyneth is looking to uncouple, and Frida Giannini is in her final year as creative director at Gucci. After establishing her vision for the label at 58’s debut show, which she describes as “a smart glamour,” the one-time accessories designer launched The full range of makeup—lipstick, mascara, powder—all fit the same aesthetic. The sleek black Fabien Baron-designed packaging is stylish and sexy, with a gold top and emblazoned with the brand’s double G logo, a touch of what it describes in its press release as “powerful femininity with a modern twist”. recognized. I distinctly remember when it came out; it was a blue-red Audacious Color-Intense lipstick in signature red, very iconic, and the first and only face of the collection shot through a Mert + Marcus lens: Charlotte Casiraghi’s ultra-glamorous photo makes it even more iconic. But the dawn of the original Gucci Beauty was over before it even began; when Michele’s vision of the house took its place in 2014, Giannini’s products disappeared, whether in department stores On the shelf or in their beauty counter.
The product, of course, was not taken off the shelves immediately. Gucci’s cosmetics are produced through licensing agreements, first with P&G Prestige and now with Coty. Licensing contracts usually have start and end dates, so products are not replenished once the initial contract ends. The process was completed by May2019, when Michele turned his love of vintage to lipstick after a runway success. His Gucci Beauty debut featured three lipsticks in 58 delightful shades – Rouge à Lèvres Satin (satin finish), Rouge à Lèvres Voile (sheer finish) and Baume à Lèvres (silky lip balm with translucent effect). But instead of Charlotte Casiraghi, he invited musician Dani Miller (frontwoman of the punk band Surfbort) to be the face of his first campaign, or rather, the face, Photographer Martin immortalized her adorable smirk Parr. Michele also has a signature red in her lipstick collection, but it’s also unconventional — a coral-like crimson called Goldie Red, a nod to Old Hollywood, and popped up in a vintage floral wallpaper print bullet. “The idea was to create a human point of view, no matter how weird,” Michele told Vogue as the image hit the billboard, which is what we’ve ever seen Since the back of the first issue of Vogue Beauty, and as part of Michele’s Gucci wall art project, on the side of buildings in select cities. “But queerness is human, so it’s beautiful.”
In my two-year career in beauty, never before has “weird” been elicited in beauty marketing materials; Michele’s beautiful muse band is equally refreshing. Glen Luchford’s tulle film for Gucci Bloom – Michele’s first original fragrance mainstay – stars photographer Petra Collins and model-turned-actor Hari Nef and fringed Dakota Johnson in a fresh perspective and Portishead soundtrack It became popular on the Internet. And then there’s the products themselves: Clever multitaskers like Éclat De Beauté Effet Lumière Gel Gloss invite the skilled hands of global makeup artist Thomas De Kluyver to experiment rather than any prescribed application technique. “Your flaws aren’t really flaws,” Miller says of her experience with Michele’s Gucci Beauty. “Yes, there are traditional beauty standards, but if you don’t fit that standard, you can still throw a party with your eccentricities and celebrate yourself.”
2015
