It appears as thought there’s little that Gucci‘s “new” creative director, Alessandro Michele, can’t do perfectly. Michele’s love for vintage is evident in his newest launch of a 12-piece plate offering. In 2013, Gucci acquired Richard Ginori, a very famous Italian porcelain maker. Ironically, Ginori was “formed” just outside of Florence in 1753. This acquisition was as much emotional as a business decision… now this Italian stronghold would be remain “Italian” forever. Re-opening a flagship store in Florence recently (it was 1802 when Ginori last had a Florence presence!), brought to center stage this 12-piece offering based upon a rare French volume c. 1801 that included a cache of botanical prints and specimens of birds.
The yearlong process to get these engravings onto plates proved quite difficult, as matching the original hues entailed much trial-and-error. Ink pen, film and silk frame were the methods used to create the color composition of each 13″ piece. We think the juxtaposition of old and new is perfect!
Gucci’s “Perroquets” collection was created by enlisting an old technique of printing using film-painted china and silk looms. The color composition is quite involved with ink, film and silk frame being “pressed” onto each parrot.
Image courtesy of: Design Boom
L’ara noir à trompe
Image courtesy of: Design Boom
The “Perroquets” collection was chosen as the store’s exhibition during Milan Design Week earlier this year.
Image courtesy of: Design Boom
The cover (right) of Wallpaper’s October 2016 issue displays Michele’s love of nature and vintage. Opposite, is Tom Ford’s issue from October 1996. It doesn’t take a lot to notice the vast differences in style and aesthetics.
Image courtesy of: Wallpaper, photographed by: Joachim Mueller Rochholtz