Gucci dedicates a documentary: To celebrate the launch of Gucci’s Ancora collection, the flagship fashion brand of Kering is releasing a documentary honoring Sabato De Sarno, the creative director of the line. The short film, which had its premiere on Mubi, a video-on-demand platform, on March 15th, will be accessible on all Air France flights in April. Even more so, starting on April 3, the movie will only be accessible in the virtual reality version made by Apple, called Apple Vision Pro.

Entitled Tell me about Sabato De Sarno. The twenty-minute video “A Gucci story” (directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost) depicts the story of the designer’s personality, creative process, and the days building up to his first exhibition. It features the voiceover of Irish actor and Gucci ambassador Paul Mescal.

An important part of the Gucci Ancora collection’s 2024 spring/summer debut, which is the first phase of the Italian fashion house’s rebirth with a new style and stance, is this documentary.

Gucci, which contributes over half of Kering’s sales, had a 2% like-for-like decline (-6% reported basis) in 2023, with sales of €9.87 billion and profits of €3.26 billion, following a steady year in 2022 (+1% on a like-for-like basis). The company is looking to turn things around by expanding into the ultra-luxury market. This will be achieved by streamlining its distribution channels and welcoming Sabato De Sarno, who debuted his collection in September, in January 2023.

The previous creative director, Alessandro Michele, was fired in November 2022 for his flamboyant aesthetic; the current director, in contrast, has highlighted a sleek, sober approach. The “Ancora” red, the signature Gucci burgundy featured heavily in the debut collection, will serve as a leitmotif for a number of efforts designed to announce the brand’s new direction and increase sales.

The streets of Milan have been crisscrossed for weeks by trams adorned with the brand’s colors. Shanghai, Chengdu, Beijing, and Shenzhen are among the Chinese locations where the brand has set up “Gucci Ancora” banners and pop-up shops in the same color scheme. A documentary on Sabato De Sarno will also play “in major cities around the world, allowing the public to experience Gucci Ancora on the big screen.”