29 September 2024 |
If you’re going to call a bag the Blondie, who better to star in its campaign than Blondie herself?
Debbie Harry kicked back in a black cab, decked in head-to-toe Gucci, canine companion at her side, looking like the picture of a woman about town. Yanan Wan applying Ancora lipstick in a French-embossed dressing room mirror. Alaato Jazyper lounging on a sumptuous velvet sofa. Lensed by the legendary, award-winning photographer and filmmaker Nan Goldin, the Gucci Blondie Bag campaign, entitled We Will Always Have London, unfolds as an ode to the timeless allure of the British capital.
It was here, after all, that a young Guccio Gucci, worked as a liftboy and luggage porter at The Savoy Hotel over a century ago. Whilst employed, he came face-to-face with the indelible sophistication of the international elite, and, entranced by their lavish luggage, felt inspired to found the eponymous leather goods house we so revere today.
Part of an ongoing love affair with the city following the cruise catwalk, Sabato De Sarno’s first destination show which transformed the “tanks” of the Tate Modern into a decadent pleasure garden, the campaign is set in the Big Smoke. Following its trailblazing protagonists through a variety of London locations, swathed by the cinematic mystery of night, Goldin’s prestigious, documentary-style photography imbues images with a certain sense of intimacy, as if onlookers are there, sitting in the cab across from the Blondie frontwoman and renowned models themselves.
In the midst of the moreish imagery, the aptly named Blondie Bag takes centre stage. An archival accessory reimagined for today, the Blondie was first introduced in the early 1970s, featuring a signature rounded emblem in leather or enamel and a roomy, yet streamlined silhouette. Reimagined here as part of the cruise collection, it’s a truly timeless bit of arm candy we can’t wait to get our hands on.
Celebrating the house’s deep-seated connection to the ceaselessly inspirational city, this is a campaign to be remembered, steeped in the styles of legends.
Photography by Nan Goldin.
