Why Are These Gucci Models Holding Their Own Heads?

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Why Are These Gucci Models Holding Their Own Heads?

By Jonathan Sawyer in Style

Gucci‘s FW18 show in Milan was one for the books. Alessandro

Michele brought out all the stops, as the runway event was held in an

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operating room, thus

highlighting models carrying everything from dragons to severed heads.

Now the question is — where exactly did all this spawn from?

It’s been well documented that Alessandro Michele has a vast appreciation for history and art, some might even call it an

obsession. As Gucci points out, the utilization of a dragon, or a mysterious creature, stems from the “Legend of the baby dragon in the jar,” which details the story of an author who staged ﬁnding a small dragon in his Oxfordshire (England) garage.

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Presenting the #GucciFW18 show space. The concept reflects the work of a designer—the act of cutting, splicing and reconstructing materials and fabrics to create a new personality and identity with them. The materials used are typical of an operating room and the

environment around it: PVC on the walls and floors, fire doors with panic-bars, LED lamps, and plastic chairs like those in a waiting room.

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This practice ultimately draws inspiration from cephalophores, referring to a saint who is depicted carrying its own head. When dealing with Christian art, Wikipedia points out, this generally notes

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that the individual had been martyred or beheaded. Tradition also insists that the severed head then points to the location in which to bury the saint.

Furthermore, there are numerous legends detailing such saints that were spotted holding their own head after being decapitated.

According to Garage, Saint Denis is the most well-known

cephalophore. Now in statue form, again, featuring head in-hand, this particular depiction is currently on display on the front portal of the Notre Dame de Paris.

Waring Abbott / Getty Images

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As far as the “stage” for this week’s riveting display from Gucci, Michele collaborated with a Rome-based factory, Makinarium, well known for creating bespoke special and visual eﬀects, Vogue reports.

In the past, they’ve worked with the likes of Ridley Scott, Vlad Marsavin, Danny Boyle, and Ben Stiller.

“Alessandro reached out to us unexpectedly—we didn’t know each other,” said Leonardo Cruciano, founder of Makinarium with Nicola Sganga and Angelo Poggi. “He had very precise ideas about what he wanted to achieve. It was a great collaboration; he’s a true artist, with a real passion, a fantasy so intense and inspiring it pushes you

forward.”

Such attention to detail took the collective roughly six months to bring to life, as Makinarium made use of real head molds, 3D prints, and scans.

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Representing the growth and self-awareness of a person as well as being conscious of oneʼs evolution, models walked the #GucciFW18 show holding replicas of their heads. To recreate their faces, moulds were made in silicone and plaster, and their faces were scanned at

@makinariumsfxvfxʼs headquarters in Rome six months ago for a virtual 3D impression to capture their expressions. This advanced technology is then finished with hand texturizing by artisans in the factoryʼs laboratory. #AlessandroMichele #mfw

Video by: Donatello Conti, Luigi Conte, Rizoma film and Revok film

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In reference to the FW18 showing, Gucci earlier took to Twitter to

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the work of a designer—the act of cutting, splicing and reconstructing materials and fabrics to create a new personality and identity with them.”

As you can see, the inspiration and inﬂuence for Gucci’s FW18 runway show in Milan date back centuries. It’d be fairly easy to suggest that Alessandro Michele was simply going for the undisputed wow factor with no underlying connections, but that’s simply not the case. Upon further investigation, we now have more of an overall appreciation for what has gone into such a thought-provoking display.

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Presenting the Gucci Fall Winter 2018 show space. The concept of the operating room reflects the work of a designer—the act of cutting, splicing and reconstructing materials and fabrics to create a new personality and identity with them. Watch the show live through link in bio.

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Alessandro Michele Gucci Gucci FW18

For more surrounding Gucci’s FW18 event at Milan Fashion Week, follow here.

Source: Wikipedia Source: Garage Source: Vogue

Main / Featured Image: Pietro D'aprano / Getty Images Main / Feature Images: Venturelli / WireImage / Getty Images In-Post Gallery Images: Gucci

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