Gucci Is Collaborating With 'Good Will Hunting' Director Gus Van Sant

Gucci has a new project in the works. After posting a polaroid picture of creative director Alessandro Michele and filmmaker Gus Van Sant to its Instagram page, the Italian house has confirmed an upcoming collaboration between the duo. Gucci also shared a series of watercolour sketches by Van Sant, all carrying the hashtag #GucciOuverture.

Alhough the exact nature of the #GucciOuverture collaboration has yet to be revealed, it is likely Michele and Van Sant will release a film together. Since the coronavirus pandemic began earlier this year, film has become an increasingly popular medium for fashion houses, and at this point, it might just become an industry standard. 

Van Sant himself has yet to direct an official fashion film, but is well suited for such an open creative project. His work in both the independent and mainstream circuits have established him as one of the most powerful directors of our era, and a key figure in the New Queer Cinema movement. Van Sant’s Milk and Good Will Hunting earned him Best Picture and Best Director nominations at the Academy Awards, while his 2003 drama Elephant won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d’Or.  He is also set to direct the film My Son, the Prince of Fashion, an adaptation of a father’s 2016 reflection about taking his son to men’s fashion week.

Plus, #GucciOuverture will not be Gucci's first foray into film. On October 27, the label announced Absolute Beginners, an upcoming series of fashion films made by first-time directors and friends of the brand (including Elle Fanning, Jodie Turner-Smith and Emma Corrin), each highlighting the Gucci Jackie 1961 handbag.

Ever since Michele’s announced his decision earlier this year to rename collections and present fewer shows, the brand seems to be taking a new course — Gucci skipped the recently-concluded Milan Fashion Week, instead sharing its new collection in July, dubbed Epilogue and modelled by Michele's own staff.