Vault—the word itself feels intriguing, mysterious, and evokes safeguarding something precious, does it not? Gucci’s new experimental online space, entitled Vault, is in fact all of the above. Created by the brilliant mind of Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele, Vault is a virtual concept store filled to the brim with inspiring and imaginative content. As proven through the plethora of extraordinary collections for Gucci, Michele has a clear passion for experimenting and altering boundaries. This holds true for Vault, which is described as a time machine, an archive, a library, a laboratory, and a meeting place all at once. 

 

“For me, shopping isn’t simply about buying things,” says Michele. “It is about establishing a connection with them, entering into a relationship. It is precisely this bond that has grown today. In my mind, I always had the idea to create a place in constant evolution where ‘impossible’ conversations between objects from different origins, creators, and eras could take place: central figures in a dialogue between past and present, able to spark future inspiration.”   

 

 

 

Displayed in a dynamic yet accessible editorial format, Vault showcases archive pieces—from a 1960s vintage Bamboo leather bag to a 1982 vintage Flora print silk shirt—juxtaposed with new designers’ creations, including that of Collina Strada, Ahluwalia, Yueqi Qi, among others. Different pieces will be released on Vault throughout the year in limited quantities, allowing for many opportunities to snag a prized vintage leather shoulder bag or a 1980s vintage leather wardrobe. The online space will constantly be evolving to include new—and old—offerings in a poetic and imaginative shopping experience.     

 

Vault features pre-owned one-of-a-kind Gucci items—selected by the Creative Director and the House’s archivists—that are reconditioned to be bought as good as new. Michele is even customizing a few, and each vintage piece is numbered and delivered in its own “made-to-measure” packaging. 

 

“When I find these objects, to me they are like relics; mutant relics,” shares Michele. “We cared for them and chose them because we heard the tone of their voice; we put them in this sort of display window and I also treated them with love because I looked at them all again, examined them, and they became wonders.” 

 

 

Maintaining the notion that Vault is more than an archive, the online space expands the boundaries of a typical concept store in order to connect the discourse of the past to the future, to create an engaging present. Vault takes inspiration from the multimedia concept stores of the ’90s by highlighting and selling emerging designers from around the world. The site currently features the designers Ahluwalia, Shanel Campbell, Stefan Cooke, Cormio, Charles de Vilmorin, JORDANLUCA, YUEQI QI, Rave Review, Gui Rosa, Bianca Saunders, Collina Strada, Boramy Viguier, and Rui Zhou. This idea has been in motion since November 2020, when each of these designers had showcased their collections through a series of fashion films on the digital platform GucciFest. 

 

Vault will continue to collaborate with different designers and brands as the platform evolves. In sharing diverse mediums—from digital short stories and poems to video and auditory clips—Vault promises to entertain, educate, and surprise. The first edition is out now, with each following edition to expand and explore the possibilities of creativity.   

 

“We concocted a laboratory; a mine of ideas, oddities, and unlikely encounters,” says Michele, “considering that Gucci is a platform for gatherings of characters who seemingly have nothing in common. Therefore, Vault is the place where wonders will hybridize and come together, giving life to new creations. Gucci’s greatest gift, in the end, is to never stay the same; to never grow old.”