Same but different – 'Welcome to Twinsburg'

„One multiplied the other. That was my world, perfectly double and doubled“

A regular presentation turned into theorizing about the true meaning of originality. Gucci’s SS23 ‚Welcome to Twinsburg‘ presentation was a mind-boggling display, of individual models‘ taking the runway to then be joined by their identical twins.

Overexposure, repetition, and the constant struggle for individuality are essential in Alessandro Michele’s sibling split-screen simulation. Following that spirit, he sent no less than 68 sets of twins down the runway for Gucci’s SS23 as an extraordinary tribute to his twin mothers. His mother and aunt embraced their twinship to an extent that tapped into an intimate, indescribable inner space. Channeling these family dynamics, Alessandro aims to explore „the deception of similitude. The game of illusion of a cracked symmetry“. Invigorating and somewhat uncanny – one can only assume that ‚Twinsburg‘ has been brewing for quite some time, considering Gucci’s recent Stanley Kubrick campaign, referenced the infamous twin-scene from ‚The Shining‘.

With each multiplication, changes tiptoe into the next iteration making it something resembling but never an exact reproduction. In such way, Alessandro’s reference to Tom Ford’s peek-a-boo g-strings and reworked Gucci logo merely symbolize the natural course of progression. Of course, Gucci’s maximalist slant made an appearance with crushed velvets, quilted, saddle-shaped bags, fringed eyewear, and chained headpieces rattling to the spirited beat of each step. Simultaneously, the collection encapsulates a lot of chinoiserie – an interpretation of East Asian shapes and patterns that were, quite unexpectantly, accompanied by a Gizmo the Gremlin figurine. Quite alienating, for those who are unfamiliar with the Italian designer, but all the more fitting to the eerie world of Gucci Twinsburg.