Gucci Popping Up in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District
The luxury fashion brand Gucci is 100 years old this year and it’s marking the milestone in style.
Gucci is opening pop-up stores across the United States, with one at 446 West 14th Street in New York’s very own Meatpacking District. The pop-up encompasses the entire 26,600-square-foot building, according to a source familiar with the deal.
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The store joins pop-ups throughout Houston, Beverly Hills, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco.
The Thor Equities-owned building Gucci chose between Washington Street and 10th Avenue was built in 1936, according to PropertyShark. The ground floor of the pop-up — which opened this past Saturday — is accessible to the public while the upper floors and rooftop will be open by appointment only. It is Gucci after all!
The Meatpacking District building has a history with luxury pop-ups. Chanel hosted one at the building in September 2015 to launch a new watch line, Observer reported. And Porsche hosted another that same year, when asking rents were as high as $450 per square foot for the space, Commercial Observer reported.
The Gucci pop-up will only be around for a few months, until December, the source said. It’s unclear if the store will have the same musical theme Gucci has adopted for its other pop-ups, focusing on singers and songwriters who’ve mentioned the fashion brand in their songs. Items designed for the anniversary include lyrics from songs mentioning the brand throughout the 1980s to early 2000s, CR Fashion Book reported.
Thor bought the three-story building in March 2007 for $23.4 million, as CO has reported. Thor declined to comment on the deal. It was not immediately clear who represented Thor or Gucci in the transaction, and the fashion company did not respond to requests for comment.
Celia Young can be reached at cyoung@commercialobserver.com.
Exclusive: Gucci Blends Fashion and Music with the Gucci 100 Collection
Gucci celebrates an epic milestone this year: 100 years of being one of the world’s premier fashion labels. Founded in 1921 as a leather goods company specializing in luggage and handbags for elite Italian travelers, Gucci has undergone countless reinventions over the years—notably in the ’80s, when it became the go-to brand for musicians, especially American rappers. Dapper Dan of Harlem famously pirated Gucci during that decade, setting in motion a streetwear craze for the GG logo and making it synonymous with palpably cool street style. Gucci’s unique ability to remain relevant and at the forefront of pop culture writ large inspired creative director Alessandro Michele to create the Gucci 100 collection, which honors the brand’s place in the cultural zeitgeist.
“The centennial, for me, represents an opportunity to bear witness to Gucci’s eternal vitality that year after year, is reborn; it renews itself, reestablishing an unusual relationship with contemporaneity as a boy, forever young, observing the world with a powerful vision,” Michele exclusively tells ELLE.com. “I recognized the manifestation of its youth in it having intercepted and traversed, for one hundred years now, popular culture in all its forms. Above all, in music: the only medium, aside from fashion, more reactive to the times that mutate and mark the new, the today, the now.”
Joshua Woods
Harnessing the joint power of fashion and music, Michele created Gucci 100 as an homage to the two creative mediums. According to Musixmatch, a music database that collaborated with the House on this project, Gucci has been mentioned in no less than 22,705 songs since its inception (yes, you read that correctly). Michele capitalizes on the brand’s rich lyrical history by emblazoning ready-to-wear, accessories, and leather goods with the Gucci 100 logo, as well as three phrases containing “Gucci” from three songs: “Music is Mine Gucci Seats Reclined” from “The R” (1988) by Eric B. & Rakim, “This One’s Dedicated To All You Gucci Bag Carriers Out There It’s Called You Got Good Taste” from “You Got Good Taste” (1983) by The Cramps, and, my personal favorite, “And The Men Notice You With Your Gucci Bag Crew” from Amy Winehouse’s “Fuck Me Pumps” (2003).
Joshua Woods
On his latest “hack,” Michele notes: “It isn’t a revisionist attempt to rummage through the past. If anything, mine is a ‘reverse’ revisionism of the House’s history, stitched back together by a piercing note, a melody, a refrain. Also because, if I were to depict Gucci, for me it would be an eternal teenager who hangs out at places where music is heard and played.”
For Michele, Gucci is a gesture, a moment in time that can be succinctly described in a song, or a piece of clothing. The campaign video, shot by Joshua Woods, encapsulates this distinct energy as well as the transportive power of music and dress. For the momentous launch, Gucci will open pop-ups around the world where pieces from the Gucci 100 collection will be available to shop. Gucci will also unveil a digital pop-up to commemorate the centennial. Here’s to 100 more years.
Joshua Woods
Campaign credits
Creative Director: Alessandro Michele
Art Director: Christopher Simmonds
Photographer & Director: Joshua Woods
Make up: Diane Kendal
Hair: Paul Hanlon
Video credits
“Zombie”
Artist: Fela Kuti & Afrika 70
“I Love The Nightlife (Disco ‘Round)” - Single Version
Artist: Alicia Bridges
“I’ll Chase The Blues Away” - Single Version / Matrix 39614
Artist: Chick Webb And His Orchestra with Ella Fitzgerald
“It Was A Good Day” – Album Version
Artist: Ice Cube
“Time Limit”
Artist: The Nurse
“You’re Gonna Miss Me”
Artist: The 13th Floor Elevators
Kevin LeBlanc Kevin LeBlanc is the Fashion Associate at ELLE Magazine.
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Gucci Opens “Gucci Circolo” Pop-Up in East London
Gucci has officially opened the doors to its “Gucci Circolo” space, a new pop-up in Shoreditch, East London. Taking over a location designed by Sir David Adjaye, “Gucci Circolo” is an experiential space that takes visitors on a journey through the chapters of the house’s Aria collection, which was unveiled earlier this year.
The first stage of the space showcases the Gucci 100 collection, created by Alessandro Michele to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the house. “Gucci Circolo” also features a collaboration with IDEA, who have curated a bespoke bookstore containing rare fashion, art and photography books. The next stage of the journey celebrates Gucci’s links to music, with musicians including Phoebe Bridgers, Celeste, Billie Eilish, Arlo Parks and more all selecting music for the space.
Completing the pop-up is the Gucci Café, which will act as a hub for London’s creative communities in the future. The “Gucci Circolo” concept will keep evolving, with new events and collections taking center stage over the coming weeks and months.
For more from Gucci, take a look at the label’s $735 USD coloring pencil roll.