For its fall 2021 collection, Gucci collaborated with Balenciaga — a true clash of the titans — and people went wild. GQ said that the collection was an industry turning point that would be talked about for years, but others were less inspired. Writer Max Larkin might have said it best: “I do think it’s interesting that, having exhausted all other cultural products, fashion houses are left with no choice but to collaborate with each other.”
I saw the clothes and they were fine. Beautiful gowns, etc. Since Alessandro Michele took over in 2015, Gucci has become known for its elaborate and surreal presentations and this collection was no different. Michele referred to some of Gucci’s greatest hits, most notably the red velvet suit made famous during Tom Ford’s own tenure in the ’90s, to pay homage to the label’s enduring legacy. So the decision to include recent Demna Gvasalia-era Balenciaga iconography (like the spandex leggings and brand logo) was random, especially since the presentation was ambitiously titled “Rebirth” for the label’s 100th anniversary.
When designers collaborate, at best it’s a marriage of two strong but distinct visions. When Louis Vuitton partnered with Supreme in 2017, it was a synthesis of streetwear and luxury that influenced how people bought and consumed each brand. It provided streetwear with a new sense of legitimacy while introducing a historic brand like Louis Vuitton to people who never would have cared otherwise. Frankly, Gucci and Balenciaga are too similar to produce something totally groundbreaking. So what could have been an iconic moment was just lazy marketing.
It reminded me of another big recent collaboration. Remember “Rain on Me,” last year’s summer hit by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande? It was the second single in support of Gaga’s highly-anticipated sixth album, Chromatica, that succeeded the unimaginative but generally enjoyable lead single “Stupid Love.” And it was a hit.
Granted, “Rain on Me” has all the makings of a hit: two A-list pop stars who can actually sing the house down and a timely (albeit generic) house-inspired production. And even though Grande tends to have issues with pronunciation, while Gaga tends to over-enunciate (she’s a theatre kid, after all), the pair balance each other out. And it’s a perfectly fine song!
The expectations were high due to each artist’s stature, but the song received a generally enthusiastic response. Gay people on Twitter loved it. It unceremoniously debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100. (It held the spot for just one week.) It ended up on numerous year-end lists. It won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Collaboration at the 2021 Grammys. The song accomplished everything it was designed to do without treading any new ground.
Quite simply, “Rain on Me” was a hit song for two artists who didn’t really need another hit. It was manufactured by eight songwriters as a way for Gaga to announce her formal return to Pop Music™, following her acclaimed performance in A Star Is Born (which also gave her a number-one song with the Oscar-winning “Shallow”) and her 2016 country-inspired album Joanne. But for an artist who blazed the trail for a new generation of pop, it also seemed like unnecessary marketing.
Grande seems to be a golden ticket for established artists looking to make chart impact. Last year, Justin Bieber’s long-awaited comeback single “Yummy” failed to make a significant impact. But a standalone lockdown-inspired duet with Grande, “Stuck with U” gave him his sixth number-one hit and Grande her third. Gaga’s own comeback “Stupid Love” underperformed by peaking at number 5. Then “Rain on Me” happened and she earned her fourth number-one hit and Grande got her fifth. Ariana Grande is the only artist to have four songs debut atop the chart — anything she puts her name on gets attention. And what better way to announce Gaga’s own pop “rebirth” than with a feature from the biggest star of the streaming era?
One person described Chromatica as “a comeback album for an artist who never really left.” (I couldn’t find a link to the review, sorry!) I think the Gucci x Balenciaga collection can be described as a rebirth for a brand that never really died. Since Ford revived the label in the ’90s, Gucci has become one of the most popular brands in the world. The Italian brand has earned annual revenues of over a billion euros for the last decade, nearly doubling under the direction of Michele.
On the other hand, Demna Gvasalia has completely resurrected Balenciaga. After a few weak collections under the direction of Alexander Wang, Gvasalia was able to completely renovate the brand into the hyper-trendy dystopian entity we know today, replete with a new logo and innovative social media strategy.
Let me posit this: Lady Gaga is Gucci and Arianda Grande is Balenciaga. Lady Gaga is a classically-trained entertainer who has been able to successfully reinvent herself countless times. Ariana Grande is a former Nickelodeon-star who emerged alongside the start of the streaming era and the ubiquity of social media. Both are signed to labels owned by Universal Music Group.
Through multiple eras and creative directors, Gucci has retained its status as a legacy house. And although Balenciaga is an older brand (it was founded in 1917, Gucci in 1921), it’s managed to adapt more easily to the digital climate of today. Both are owned by Kering.
These days, designers are as big as pop stars and creative directors (the Hedis, the Virgils, the Rafs) are the new rock stars. In her review for Vogue, Nicole Phelps confirmed “that Gucci is as pop as fashion brands come.” So it makes sense to hold them to a similar standard. But sometimes too much of a good thing can be detrimental.
What does it really mean when two of the biggest artists and designers have no choice but to collaborate with each other? Where is the fresh point of view? When it comes to the idea of rebirth, how groundbreaking is it to just work with what’s already there?
The clothes will undoubtedly sell out instantly and become highly coveted pieces simply because they exist. The Gucci x Balenciaga collaboration was a branding exercise by two corporate behemoths, but I struggle to see anything more. It just accomplished everything it was designed to do without treading any new ground.
