The Gucci Fall/Winter 2018 show was a certified trip, and we mean that in the best way. While creative director Alessandro Michele's work was decadent and a feast for the eyes as usual, it goes without saying that the real stars of the spectacle were the decapitated heads two models casually carried down the operating room-themed runway. No biggie.
There were baby dragons, a chameleon, and some extra all-seeing eyes too, just in case you missed 'em. But how did this all come to be? Over the course of six short months, the Italian label worked closely with a skilled team of visual effects artists from production company Makinarium to actualize Alessandro's surreal vision.
Look again and you'll inevitably notice that those severed heads are exact replicas of the models' own. Leonardo Cruciano, one-third of the trio behind the Rome-based bespoke special effects house, mused to Vogue of the collab's beginnings: "Alessandro reached out to us unexpectedly—we didn’t know each other. He had very precise ideas about what he wanted to achieve. It was a great collaboration; he’s a true artist, with a real passion, a fantasy so intense and inspiring it pushes you forward.”
Even without the surprise sartorial tie-up, it's important to establish that Makinarium is prolific and well-known in the cinematic sphere. The team lists Ridley Scott, Vlad Marsavin, Danny Boyle, and Ben Stiller as just a few of the affluent names they've worked with—it was only natural that Gucci, unabashedly and delightfully extravagant under Alessandro's hold, became the latest addition.
It was a meticulous process, but worth it. Using an array of techniques, the Makinarium team painstakingly crafted Gucci's crop of creatures and clones (can you believe how lifelike that third eye is?!), effectively rendering us slack-jawed in awe. Prosthetics as unsettlingly realistic as these are a rarity, but the fashion world does love that potent mix of shock and novelty the brand's so good at serving.
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