Liu Wen Stars in Gucci Bamboo 1947 Campaign
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BAMBOO’S TURN: Gucci’s commitment in highlighting its signature handbags with dedicated campaigns reached the third chapter.
After the images released in January that portrayed Dakota Johnson with various renditions of the brand’s Jackie 1961, and zooming in on the Horsebit 1955 handbag with a little help of ambassadors Halle Bailey, Hanni and Julia Garner last month, the Italian luxury house is now spotlighting the Gucci Bamboo 1947 bag.
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For the occasion, the brand tapped Chinese supermodel Liu Wen, who was photographed and directed in a video by David Sims.
Similarly to the aforementioned campaigns, these in-studio images are easy-to-read in their straightforward focus on the bag and Wen’s personality, shifting away from the more flamboyant aesthetic of Alessandro Michele, who left his role as creative director of the brand in November.
Distinguished by the curved bamboo handle, the Gucci Bamboo 1947 style is named after the year of creation. Amidst Italy’s post-war era, in which traditional raw materials were difficult to source, the fashion house’s founder Guccio Gucci decided to use the lightweight and durable bamboo as alternative for the purse’s handle, supported by Florentine artisans in developing the design.
To wit, the design ushered in an expansion of the brand’s artisanal expertise due to the highly technical process behind crafting the curved stalk. The bamboo piece is softened and worked over an open flame by hand to take a semi-circular form and, once shaped, is coated in multiple layers of lacquer and baked to achieve a shiny golden-brown finish. In light of the handmade process, every bamboo handle result is different from the others.
Following its debut, the Gucci Bamboo 1947 bag gained popularity among Hollywood’s stars and the international jet set. Today, the style is made extra functional via detachable and interchangeable leather and Gucci’s signature Web straps.
The Gucci Bamboo 1947 bag and its archival predecessors will be among the key pieces to be showcased at “Gucci Cosmos,” the major exhibition the brand will unveil in Shanghai this month to retrace its 102-year history through creative milestones by the founder, successors Tom Ford and Frida Giannini, up to designs by Michele.
As reported, the show opening April 28 and running through June 25 will be curated by Italian fashion critic Maria Luisa Frisa and designed by British artist Es Devlin, who has also created a special installation for the Bamboo 1947 bag to feature in window displays and inside a selection of Gucci stores around the world.
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