Gucci Goes Off The Grid With Its New Eco-Friendly Collection

"I decided to build a new path, away from deadlines that the industry consolidated and, above all, away from an excessive performativity that today really has no raison d'être," explained Alessandro Michele last month when he announced a new direction for Gucci, scaling back the label's annual output from five shows to two seasonless events that will combine womenswear and menswear. "It's a foundational act, audacious but necessary, that aims at building a new creative universe."

Michele's future-facing vision takes another step forward this week with the launch of Gucci's Off The Grid (#GucciOffTheGrid) collection, the first drop from Gucci Circular Lines, an initiative created to support the Italian house's move towards circular production.

Designed with sustainability and careful environment impact in mind, Off The Grid is a genderless collection that highlights the use of recycled, organic, bio-based, and sustainably sourced materials, including ECONYL®, a type of regenerated nylon made from offcuts and pre- and post-consumer waste, as well as metal-free tanned leather, recycled polyester thread, recycled gold and palladium hardware coating, and solvent-free adhesives.

To commemorate this momentous launch, Alessandro Michele has gathered Hollywood icon Jane Fonda, rapper Lil Nas X, "samurai guitarist" Miyavi, singer King Princess, and environmentalist David de Rothschild for a global campaign. 

Set against a backdrop of skyscrapers, the cast of stars can be seen working in and around a rustic treehouse — planting seeds, whittling wood, tending shrubs, and more. Lensed by photographer and director Harmony Korine, the campaign highlights the stark contrast between urban and nature, and tells a story wherein these metropolitan explorers make a modest stand for the future of humankind.

“The collection is the result of teamwork; everybody brought something to it," says Alessandro Michele. "And in the campaign, too, there is this idea of dialogue among people building something new. I imagined that we could build a treehouse in a city centre, all together, like kids playing in the park. Because all of us need to build this house or to find out that our planet exists, even where it seems it’s not there, or it’s far away."

Watch the campaign video below: