In fashion, there are moments when a change of creative director is not about revolution, but about shifting the emphasis. The Gucci Spring Summer 2026 campaign is precisely such a moment. It does not dismantle the legacy of the fashion house. Instead, it rearranges the furniture in a way that is immediately felt in the air. This is Demna’s first fully formed vision for Gucci — and although it doesn’t shout, it speaks very clearly.
Instead of theatrical excess, we get focus. Instead of spectacle – attention to the face, silhouette, gesture. Demna doesn’t try to forcibly “take over” Gucci. Rather, he positions himself on the threshold of the house’s history and asks: which elements of this heritage still truly resonate with the emotions of today’s audience?
A game with tradition: not a tribute, but a dialogue
Gucci is a brand that has always built its identity on the tension between past and present. Demna understands this instinctively. In the La Famiglia campaign, there is no nostalgia in the classic sense. That’s why there are no museum-like references or fashion sentimentality. Instead, there is an intelligent play with the fashion house’s codes. Distinct 90s elegance, an echo of the Tom Ford era, and a clear sexuality tinged with distance.
This is not about copying the aesthetics of past campaigns. It is rather a reminder that Gucci has always been a brand of mature sensuality. The kind that doesn’t need to shout to attract attention. Demna takes this language and speaks it anew—more raw, more restrained, more “here and now.”
Demna without compromise? Yes – but in a new form
Many have wondered whether Demna would retain his signature edge at Gucci. The answer is yes, but the blade has been sharpened differently. Instead of the irony and provocation typical of Balenciaga, there is a cool self-assurance. Instead of shock—control. And instead of exaggeration—precision.
It’s still Demna, but more mature. Less interested in going viral, more focused on how fashion works on an emotional level. The campaign doesn’t aim to be a meme. It wants to be an image you return to. Not because it shocks, but because something about it lingers.
La Famiglia: a portrait instead of a spectacle
Catherine Opie’s photographs create an atmosphere that perfectly aligns with this strategy. There is no narrative in the classic sense here—what we have is a gallery of characters. Each one appears to have their own story, but none reveal it completely. This is a campaign about presence, not about plot.
The titular “family” is not a literal community. It is rather a collection of individuals connected by something more elusive: a shared tone, a similar sensitivity, the same sense of style as an expression of character. Gucci is not selling clothes here. It is selling a way of being in the world.
Gucci Spring Summer 2026. What really sets this campaign apart?
Not flashiness. Not viral potential. Nor a spectacular narrative.
The greatest strength of the Gucci Spring Summer 2026 campaign is its confidence.
This is a campaign that doesn’t need to convince anyone of its importance. It doesn’t raise its voice. It doesn’t race against the algorithm. In a world where fashion often shouts, Gucci by Demna speaks in a low voice — and that’s precisely why it is heard more clearly.
It is also distinguished by something else: the sense that we are witnessing a beginning, not a finale. This is not a definitive “here is the new Gucci.” It is rather: “here is the first chapter.” The brand is giving itself time, and Demna is giving himself space to build a world, not just a seasonal aesthetic.
A new chapter without fireworks, but with character
Does this campaign change everything? No.
Does it change enough to make a difference? Absolutely yes.
Gucci under Demna’s direction does not abandon its history, but stops displaying it like a relic. Instead, it treats it as a living material to work with—cutting, shifting accents, leaving things unsaid. This is a more introspective, more focused, less obvious Gucci.
The family has been gathered. Now it’s time to see what story it will begin to tell when it allows itself to step beyond the portrait and enter a fully realized world. If this first step is a sign of the journey ahead, one thing is certain: this will be Gucci that copies no one. Not even its own past.
