Gucci Fall 2024 Ad Campaign

Review of Gucci Fall 2024 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Sabato De Sarno and Photographer David Sims with models Alaato Jazyper, Jiahui Zhang, and Loli Bahia

Gucci commits to its stripped-back, minimal approach with its Fall 2024 campaign, solidifying the straightforward aesthetic of the Sabato De Sarno era. Once again, the creative director teamed with photographer David Sims and artistic director Riccardo Zanola.

Echoing the designer’s slow and steady approach to developing his design language across seasons, the imagery picks up right where the Spring 2024 campaign left off, bringing us back to simple portraiture in front of a white wall. But while the previous chapter focused on glamorous poise in intricate group compositions, here the approach feels more intimate. The solitary models lean against the wall or sit with their legs curled up on a chair, creating a more spontaneous and vulnerable sense of personality.

Nonetheless, this more vulnerable spirit is balanced out by the confident character of the collection, which draws on 60s mod silhouettes as it infuses moments of craft magic into classic and familiar garment categories.

The accompanying short film creates a stronger sense of energy through its smart editing, creating a sense of color and motion that the portraits lack. Tightly edited soundbites from the models abstractly point to reflections on perception and selfhood; this is an approach we’ve seen many times before, and here it doesn’t give us enough personality to feel successfully impactful. It vaguely points at the idea of individuality and desire without actually showing it.

Again, the campaign has us feeling torn and unsure about the new status of Gucci. Along with the unbothered pace at which he is developing his vision for the brand, there are elements of Sabato De Sarno’s design language that have us excited, and consistency is rarely a bad thing when it comes to campaigns. But when that consistency feels lacking in point of view and just shows us the same white wall, maybe it’s time to change things up and take a creative risk? We might be nearing the end of our patience with Gucci’s transitional period. The slate has been wiped clean – now it’s time to fill it with something new.