Gucci Turns 50 Times Square Screens Into Runway for Demna's First Cruise Show
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Gucci Turns 50 Times Square Screens Into Runway for Demna's First Cruise Show
8 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Times Square became Gucci’s stage on Saturday night, with the brand converting the block between 47th and 48th Streets into a runway for Demna’s first cruise show.
About 50 giant screens were repurposed into a branded spectacle of fantasy imagery and mock products, underscoring Gucci’s push to “drive the narrative” around the collection.
The show also introduced GucciCore, a seasonless line designed as a permanent foundational wardrobe, helping explain why more clothes appeared than in Demna’s two earlier Gucci presentations.
Tom Brady, Cindy Crawford, Kim Kardashian and Mariah Carey were among the high-profile attendees, reinforcing the event’s celebrity-heavy, meta-kitsch positioning.
The Times Square takeover signals Gucci’s effort to make Demna’s vision more commercially durable after his September film debut and February runway show.
As Gucci's sales fall for 11 straight quarters, can one star-studded Times Square show actually reverse the brand's decline?
Can a luxury brand authentically capture 'gritty' New York culture, or is a celebrity-filled spectacle just performative marketing?