Recently reimagined by creative director Sabato De Sarno as part of his Cruise 2025 collection, Gucci’s ‘Blondie’ bag, first launched in 1971, centres around a rounded version of the brand’s historic interlocking-G symbol. Now one of fashion’s most recognisable motifs, it remains on De Sarno’s interpretation, which is designed to recall the original’s effortless insouciance and the heady, liberated spirit of the 1970s.
The decade heralded a new era for Gucci as celebrity fans, such as Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy Onassis (for whom the house’s ‘Jackie’ bag was named), propelled the Florentine house to international fame. It launched watches and perfumes, and, in 1977, it also opened the Gucci Galleria in Beverly Hills, a gleaming temple to luxury fashion only accessible to high-spending clients via a gifted golden key.
New classic: Gucci’s Blondie bag
Small ‘Blondie’ bag in black leather, £2,530, by Gucci (available at gucci.com)
De Sarno, who joined Gucci in 2023, aims to strike a similarly optimistic mood with his tenure, which has so far seen the designer instil quotidian garments with flourishes of glamour and craft. His Cruise 2025 show, held in May, also saw him pay homage to London, staging it in the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Tanks at Tate Modern. ‘I owe a lot to this city,’ says De Sarno, noting that it was in the UK capital that Guccio Gucci first had the idea for his eponymous brand while working as a porter at the Savoy hotel. ‘It has welcomed me, and listened to me. The same is true for Gucci, whose founder was inspired by his experience there.’
The most striking thing about De Sarno’s Cruise collection was the use of craft, with everything from hanging beads and tassels to laser-cut camomile flowers appearing on garments. It was a rich reminder of Gucci’s long history of artisanal craftsmanship, echoed also in the ‘Blondie’, which is now available in rich Tuscan leather or simple canvas. Meanwhile, two versions of the logo were revealed: one in leather and the other enamelled, a nod to the jewellery produced by the house in the 1970s. ‘[It is] a fusion of nostalgia and modernity,’ say Gucci.
The bag’s revival is heralded by a new campaign, ‘We Will Always Have London’, captured by seminal countercultural American photographer Nan Goldin. A so-called ode to ode to ‘the timeless allure of London’, it unfolds in black cabs, townhouses and along the River Thames, starring the musicians Blondie and Kelsey Lu alongside a cast of young protagonists.
Watch Nan Goldin’s ‘We Will Always Have London’ below.
The new-look ‘Blondie’, currently available at Gucci’s New Bond Street store in London, is the first style to launch from the Cruise 2025 collection. The rest of the collection will drop at the store at the beginning of November, where it will be available as a global exclusive for a week before being distributed worldwide. The full Blondie collection is available at gucci.com.
Set design: Lianna Fowler. Photography assistant: Karolina Burlikowska. Set assistant: Lucy Fraser.
This article appears in the November 2024 issue of Wallpaper* , available in print on newsstands from 10 October, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
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