It's official. After more than 20 years with the company, including seven as its creative director, Alessandro Michele is leaving Gucci.
“There are times when paths part ways because of the different perspectives each one of us may have. Today an extraordinary journey ends for me, lasting more than 20 years, within a company to which I have tirelessly dedicated all my love and creative passion," the Italian designer posted on Instagram on Wednesday.
And what tireless creative passion it has been.
During the course of his tenure, Michele single-handedly reinvented Gucci, from a then-ailing house in 2015, to making it one of the hottest brands on the planet.
But how did he do it? By sending his own, very personal take on romantic, dreamy and boundary-crossing clothes down the runway. Given just days to create his debut show — he rejected the collection left by his predecessor Frida Giannini's hasty departure — Michele created his own collection from scratch, and began writing Gucci into the history books in the process.
And it didn't stop there. A self-confessed Anglophile, Michele scored something of a coup when he persuaded Westminster Abbey in London to let him hold the Gucci cruise 2017 runway show in its cloisters, marking a first in its 1,000-year history, and a moment that Michele would later describe as "magical".
For autumn/winter 2018, he was clearly in a magical mood when he sent models down the runway carrying their own synthetic heads, while another tenderly cradled a sleeping "baby dragon". Bizarre and charming, it fitted perfectly with the new Gucci he was creating — a safe space where anything and everything was possible.
For his cruise 2019 show, Michele transported his runway to Alyscamps, the ancient graveyard in Arles, France, where models strode through smoke, down a walkway lit only by flames. Inspired by the darker recesses of Catholicism, it was stunning and terrifying in equal measure, as reflected in the corseted clothes drawn from Mary Queen of Scots and the hell-fire of damnation.
For spring/summer 2022, Michele persuaded his doppleganger, the actor Jared Leto, to appear in the Love Parade show in Los Angeles. Shutting down Hollywood Boulevard for the event, it harked back to the silver-screen glamour of US film's golden era.
Michele brought his love for the cinematic wardrobes of yesteryear to life, with cowboy hats, feathered gowns, faux fur coats, diamond tiaras, crop tops, wide-legged trousers and voluminous dresses. He offered a mixture of colours through his models who wore lavender, teal and hot-pink suits along with metallic and gold gowns. Black was another colour of preferences.
Then, for what would be his final show for the house, for spring/summer 2023, Michele called on 100 sets of identical twins to wear matching looks. Visually dazzling, it was created around ideas of otherness and identity.
Michele is a born dreamer with a unique sense of mashed-up style that encompasses romance, opulence and beauty. His time at Gucci has been remarkable, both for the huge surge in sales it generated and for the unfettered, dazzling imagination he demonstrated.
"During this long period Gucci has been my home, my adopted family. To this extended family, to all the individuals who have looked after and supported it, I send my most sincere thanks, my biggest and most heartfelt embrace," he said in his farewell post.
"Together with them I have wished, dreamed, imagined. Without them, none of what I have built would have been possible. To them goes my most sincerest wish: may you continue to cultivate your dreams, the subtle and intangible matter that makes life worth living. May you continue to nourish yourselves with poetic and inclusive imagery, remaining faithful to your values. May you always live by your passions, propelled by the wind of freedom.”
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
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Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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