TO LEAF OR NOT TO LEAF: Gucci has a new take on Christmas trees. This was clear as the Italian luxury house on Monday evening unveiled its own tree, which is only shaped like one, and placed it at the center of Milan’s iconic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Succeeding Swarovski — which sponsored the Christmas tree for the city since 2013 — the Kering-owned fashion house opted for an installation made up of 78 gift boxes sealed with Gucci’s signature Horsebit buckle.
Coming in white and silver shades and topped with the brand’s logo, the boxes were lit up during a ceremony Monday evening, along with the LED illuminations that cover the domed ceiling of the Milanese landmark spot.
Open to the public, the lighting ceremony was hosted by Milan’s Mayor Giuseppe Sala, Gucci president and chief executive officer Jean-François Palus, Italian actress and godmother of the event Margherita Buy as well as Anna Dello Russo, who faced the freezing cold in a black double-breasted blazer jacket, mini shorts and flatform loafers hailing from Sabato de Sarno’s first collection for the brand.
“The place where we’re standing is recognized around the world as a symbol of the beauty of this city. With the Gucci tree with which we’re decorating the Galleria, we want to spread a message of joy and beauty with all of you and the entire city of Milan,” said Palus during the ceremony.
The gift boxes will be a recurring motif for the holidays at the brand, as they also will adorn the Gucci store windows and embellish the interiors of selected units worldwide.
Some of the materials that make up the gift boxes will be donated to ForMattArt, a cultural association for social advancement that promotes activities geared toward social solidarity and education.
Gucci’s sponsorship of Milan’s Christmas tree is part of an expansive project aimed at promoting beauty and enhancing semi-peripheral areas of the city. For example, in collaboration with ForMattArt, the brand pledged to light up parts of the Corvetto neighborhood — in Milan’s southern area — and embellish the entrances to three of the main schools in the district, in an initiative unveiled on the occasion of World Children’s Day on Nov. 20. Children were also involved in artistic workshops to create decorations for their schools around the topic of children’s and adolescents’ rights.
In his speech, Palus thanked Sala and the municipality of Milan “for giving us the opportunity to contribute in making Christmas special for the Milanese not only here in Galleria but also in the Corvetto district. May this Christmas be a reason for all of us to understand the importance of giving back to the community.”
“Our beloved Galleria is the expression of the city: when it’s full and buzzy, it means that the city is doing well,” said Sala. “We’ve sometimes received criticism about only big companies finding place here…but we ask them to do something for the city, in addition to promoting their brands….Because at the end of the day we’re privileged in living in this part of the world and in this city but, as per the Milanese spirit, without solidarity and attention to the others we don’t live well, it’s unacceptable for us. So every occasion of festivity…must be also an opportunity to think about the others,” concluded the mayor.
