Gucci’s no stranger to making headlines, and they recently took the world by storm when they announced the opening of the Gucci Garden inside the Florence’s Palazzo della Mercanzia. Here’s everything you need to know about it:
In the Mind of the Gucci Garden
Gucci has a long tradition of turning to elements of nature and wildlife for its creations (a move that’s always thrust the house into the spotlight), but the name “Gucci Garden” has a far deeper meaning behind it. Creative director Alessandro Michele explains, “The garden is real, but it belongs above all to the mind, populated with plants and animals: like the snake, which slips in everywhere, and in a sense, symbolises a perpetual beginning and a perpetual return.”
Gorgeous Gucci Garden Goods
If you want to get your hands on exclusive Gucci Garden merchandise, you’re in luck. Spread over two large rooms, the Garden plays host to a marketplace-like store with products designed solely for the Gucci Garden. The products – bearing the distinct Gucci Garden label and not available for purchase elsewhere – include items like shoes, bags and coats, not to mention original pieces like silk bomber jackets with the Gucci Garden Gothic script. Longtime Gucci aficionados are bound to appreciate the inclusion of new symbols into the House’s motifs like a bat (on leather products and custom jewellery) and an eye (for small leather goods and gifts).
Introducing Gucci Gastronomy
The Gucci Garden marks a novel first for the fashion house with the debut of its restaurant, the Gucci Osteria. Led by the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura, the restaurant features a unique menu of Italian dishes interpreted through cosmopolitan lenses. “Traveling the world, our kitchen interacts with everything we see, hear and taste,” the chef shares. “With eyes wide open, we look for the unexpected and the next éclat.”
A Garden of Inspiration and Driving Forces
Be warned – the Gucci Garden is not your conventional ol’ museum with dusty artefacts. Instead, you’re invited to experience the house as an actual organism, one that offers you the opportunity witness Gucci’s ever progressing aesthetics and philosophies. According to curator and critic Maria Luisa Frisa, the decision to omit a timeline from the displays was a conscious one. The dynamic range of objects that are on showcase such as clothes, accessories, artwork, documents and videos are spread in a whimsical manner according to themes instead, telling Gucci’s story by contrasting its past with the present.
The Past, Present and Beyond
The setting for the Gucci Garden? None other than the historic Palazzo dell Mercanzia in Florence. Furthermore, contemporary artists and friends of Gucci such as Jayde Fish, Trevor Andrew (Gucci Ghost) and Coco Capitán have also left their mark on the Garden – they’ve decorated some walls and their works are on display in the premises. Need to take a break from walking in the Garden? Be sure to check out the small cinema to for some experimental films.
50% of Ticket Sales Go to Restoration Works
Regular tickets are priced at 8 euros each, and half of the proceeds will be channelled to restoration projects throughout Florence city. Students are eligible to enter the Garden for a discount at 6 euros. Here’s a fun bit of trivia: citizens of Florence are in for luck as they can enter the Garden for free on Mondays only.
