Back in January, Gucci made headlines when it teased its 100 percent diverse Pre-Fall 2017 ad campaign with a series of elusive Instagram videos. Despite not knowing what to expect from the actual ads, media outlets (including ourselves) were quick to praise Gucci and, in turn, Midland Agency, for its casting choices. Four months later, the Italian label delivered its beautifully styled “Soul Scene” campaign. It wasn’t exactly what we’d have hoped for — Gucci’s borrowing of 60s-era Northern Soul culture for marketing purposes was somewhat Pepsi-esque (but nowhere near as offensive).
Yesterday (perhaps to coincide with 4/20?), the brand restarted the cycle, releasing a set of cryptic “casting” videos ahead of its Fall 2017 campaign, presumably titled #GucciandBeyond. This time around, Gucci (kind of) side-stepped the diversity conversation by casting individuals of various…alien species. The new videos feature maximalist extraterrestrials (aka models in face masks, metallic makeup, wigs and prosthetics) that appear to be auditioning for some sort of acting role. (The folks at Pantone must be happy — said aliens are standing in front of an almost offensively “Greenery”-green screen.)
The videos are trippy AF (and we’re kind of loving them) but what we appreciate most is the fact that, in many cases, the alien disguises obscure the models’ true appearance. In the Gucci galaxy, different species exist, but racial labels are a passé Earth concern (although the “aliens” are clearly a mix of white models and models of color). It’s a nice thought, even if the fashion industry is nowhere near there yet.
Scroll down to take in the awesomely weird videos. Needless to say, we’re dying to see what Michele has up his sleeve. (Though, as far as space-themed fashion projects go, it’s going to be hard to top an actual rocket launch.)
