It was back in June 2022 that Gucci made a special appearance during Milan Fashion Week Men’s. The Italian fashion house typically shows co-ed runway collections during the women’s schedule, but the surprise presentation was the debut announcement of Gucci HA HA HA — a collaboration between creative director Alessandro Michele and British singer-songwriter Harry Styles.
Gucci is no stranger to the celebrity dressing game. It counts a diverse cast of characters — from musicians Jared Leto, Florence Welch, and Måneskin to actors the likes of Lee Jung Jae, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain — who have been brought into the fold over the years. But perhaps, none as special as Styles.
Styles, to a certain extent, has almost exclusively dressed in Gucci. They range from off-the-runway looks to custom pieces worn for the Met Gala or his world concert tours. He was also the face of a 2018 Gucci tailoring campaign.
Gucci HA HA HA may be an odd name (some might say laughable). It’s the combination of the first letters of Harry and Alessandro, and in essence, a symbolic manifestation of the close friendship that the two share. In the press release, it’s also said that both tend to end their messages to each other with ‘hahaha’.
“The idea of working together came to me one day while we were talking on the phone: I proposed creating a “dream wardrobe” with him, starting from those small oddities that come together in childlike visions. We ended up with a mix of aesthetics from 1970s pop and bohemian to the revision of the image of the gentleman in an overturned memory of men’s tailoring,” says Michele.
Gucci HA HA HA is replete with playful renditions of tailoring that Michele’s vision for Gucci is known for, and that Styles is fond of wearing. Double-breasted coats in Prince of Wales checks, velvet suits done in irregular hues as well as wide-lapel blazers in a flurry of treatments make the bulk of the entire collection. Complementing them are silk printed pyjamas, pleated kilts, treated denim jackets, and knits that capture the playful essence of the collection.
What’s missing from Gucci HA HA HA is the blatant decoration of logos that Gucci is often partial to, especially on its slew of past collaborations. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The collection is focused on the cut and make of its tailored pieces without the need for all the loud branding.
And if you’ve got a personality and identity as colourful and malleable as Styles’, why bother with all the superfluous elements, right?
The Gucci HA HA HA collection is now available in boutiques and on gucci.com.
