Gucci ‘Aria’ Fall 2021 Ad Campaign

Review of Gucci ‘Aria’ Fall 2021 Ad Campaign Part Two by Creative Director Alessandro Michele with Art Director Christopher Simmonds and Photographers Mert Atlas and Marcus Piggott

Gucci unveils a follow-up chapter to its magnificent “Aria” campaign, which features art direction from Christopher Simmonds and photography by Mert Atlas and Marcus Piggott.

Sensual and scintillating, Gucci’s Fall 2021 campaign is a darkly playful celebration of unbounded eroticism – though there is certainly some bondage involved. The bondage and kink themes that were subtly suggested in the runway show’s equestrian details of riding crops and harnesses here is developed more explicitly, though not without loads of class.

Electrically charged with sexual tension, Mert and Marcus’ compositions explore dynamic spatial relations between bodies and the power dynamics they seem to suggest, sometimes clear and sometimes impenetrable.

Some images feel voyeuristic, like we’ve looked into someone’s hotel doorway and seen something we shouldn’t have, while others feel exhibitionist, like they want to be seen. Set against the lush backdrop of a London hotel’s lavish interiors, the photographs have the lush compositional atmosphere of masterful paintings, gorgeously harmonizing the rich colors of the collection with that of the space.

The new chapter of the campaign puts the focus more closely on the Aria collection’s accessories, from lavish jewelry to shoes and leather bags.

The equestrian visual motifs are drawn out again through the frequent presence of riding helmets, which both serve to specify the focus of the accessories and hardware while pushing the subversive and darkly humorous sense of eroticism.

Dreamy and dazzling, the Aria collection is certainly worthy of much celebration, and Gucci knows it. This latest campaign is a thoughtful continuation of its narrative and another gorgeous entry into the house’s world.