Between 1 and 6 April, Italian luxury fashion house Gucci will be hosting an exhibition in Shanghai. Titled “The Gucci Bamboo: Decoding an Icon”, the exhibition will be dedicated to the Bamboo 1947, one of the brand’s iconic items.
The showcase will be held at the Sunke Villa, a 1931 manor that combines Spanish and Italian architectural styles with a Chinese-style garden. It will show how the titular bag has evolved since its introduction in 1947, as well as the Italian craftsmanship behind the handbag. On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, the topic “Gucci Bamboo exhibition” (#古驰竹节手袋展#) reached number 11 on the Hot Search list with 110 million views.
The exhibition, curated by the multi-disciplinary studio 2050+ from Milan, also combines Italian heritage and Chinese crafts. By inviting inheritors of bamboo-related intangible cultural heritages (ICHs), from wickers to fans and lanterns, to create pieces inspired by Bamboo, the exhibition serves as a dialogue between the brand and the local culture. The Bamboo exhibit will be a celebration of both the brand and the culture from across China, anchored by both the material bamboo and craft.
Kering recently announced that Denma, of Balenciaga fame, will be moving to Gucci to take the helm as creative director for the Italian luxury brand in July. While awaiting the new creative direction, it is perhaps fitting for Gucci to draw attention back to its heritage and craftsmanship with an exhibition like this. Interestingly, Spanish luxury brand Loewe is also awaiting the debut show of its new creative directors, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. It might not be such a coincidence that its major exhibition Crafted World just opened its Tokyo leg on 29 March.
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