After weeks of intrigue, the rumours are true: a Palace Gucci collab is coming.
Posting on Instagram just this morning, #PalaceGucci was sparing in its announcement. This is to be a crossover with Gucci Vault, the concept store launched from the mind of creative director Alessandro Michele, and it's scheduled for a 21 October launch (which gives you precisely 7 days to get buzzed, and call-in some spare laptops for the online brawl). Just the key points. Nothing more. Because Palace Gucci is a tease.
The internet has been hissing with whispers about an official collab for several days now. And though we've yet to see any official product, #PalaceGucci anchored the announcement with a slightly Hitchcockian (and very Gucci) shot from what you can assume to be the campaign: theatrical people staring at the sky, drenched in crisp sunlight, in very, very good overcoats. Just hours later, that became an ode to ‘60s sci-fi. UFOs. A floating newsagents. A slow dissolve into a rave soundtracked by The Prodigy’s ‘Out of Space’.
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This sort of hook-up is less a special project for Palace, and more a permanent structure. After several banner collabs, the label has solidified skatewear as a big player in the luxury gang. It's now an essential part of the ecosystem. In Polo Ralph Lauren, Palace went wavy on the vaunted American designer's archive. In Moschino, Palace went Euroraver on puffer jackets and print camo trousers. In Harrods, Palace went on a trolley dash round the merch department, and gave new social currency to the caps and coats of tourists. You can still buy some of it. On resale platforms. For comically inflated prices. Such is the power of a Palace collab.
And Gucci has long been open to collaboration. By pairing up with brands beyond its usual sphere (like Adidas, and an ongoing partnership with The North Face), the storied design house has changed the mindset of Italian luxury at large. This sort of partnership plugs new people in, and midwifes genuinely exciting stuff.
The latest partnership will continue that legacy. Opening the announcement, #PalaceGucci's caption hit the caps lock with reckless abandon, and the comments flowed in thick and fast: “THINGS ARE LOOKING UP.”
