Gucci content collaboration imagines living tarot cards

October 4, 2017

Image from AnOther Man's Gucci spread. Image credit: AnOther Man

Italian fashion label Gucci is helping to bring mythical characters to the pages of Another Man magazine through an editorial partnership.

Photographer Tim Walker’s “We Wake Eternally” is part of a 32-page Gucci feature in the biannual publication’s autumn/winter 2017 issue. While not overtly sponsored, Gucci's collaboration with the London-based culture magazine may help spur interest in its collection through fantastical photography.

"Another Man is a well-known high-fashion and culture international magazine with an audience of powerful influencers," said Vincent Krsulich, senior vice president, sales and marketing at Martini Media, New York.

Mr. Krsulich is not affiliated with Gucci, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Gucci was reached for comment.

Fashion fortunes

Another Man’s feature is intended to provide a look into the world of Gucci under the creative direction of Alessandro Michele.

First in the document is a Gucci-centric photo spread by Mr. Walker based on the 22 characters in tarot’s Major Arcana. Stylist Katy England used pieces from the Gucci fall/winter 2017 collection to portray the ideas of cards such as The Lovers and The Magician.

Beyond the Gucci apparel and accessories, makeup by Miranda Joyce at Streeters and sets by Shona Heath at CLM help to bring the cards to life.

For example, The Empress, who is said to rule over everything including nature, is pictured wearing a crown and a flower-adorned cape against a backdrop of a painted landscape.

Meanwhile, The Sun is depicted by a trio wearing cutoff denim against a yellow backdrop. One woman in the scene dons the Gucci logo tank top embellished by artist Coco Capitán (see story).

Image from Gucci's Another Man spread depicting The Magician. Image credit: Gucci

A photo from Another Man’s Gucci spread is featured on one of the four covers of the issue, which is themed “The World.”

In addition to the editorial feature in the magazine, these looks were also captured in a film directed by Emma Dalzell. The characters slowly move as they are depicted in varying degrees of clarity.

During the film, The Chariot wields a whip, while Death widens its black-rimmed eyes as it stares directly at the camera.

A post shared by Gucci (@gucci) on Oct 2, 2017 at 9:01am PDT

Aside from the tarot-inspired photography, Another Man's focus on Gucci includes a feature on skateboarder and artist Mark Gonzales' illustrations of 13 Gucci symbols.

In print
Magazine partnerships that skew more content than commercial enable brands to communicate with consumers in a way that feels more organic than pushy.

Mr. Michele similarly lent his creative talents to curate the sixteenth edition of A Magazine, a collaborative fashion and art publication.

Since becoming creative director at Gucci, Mr. Michele has established the house as one of collaboration, often pairing with artists on exhibitions and special-edition projects. On his own, Mr. Michele has worked with the motifs created for the house of Gucci outside its immediate brand categories to further introduce and translate the brand’s codes under his direction for a greater audience (see story).

British fashion house Burberry also worked with Condé Nast-owned Love magazine to give consumers a preview of its February 2017 collection.

Love magazine, edited by Katie Grand, is an imagination-driven title covering fashion, art and design. Published biannually, Love magazine #17 arrived on newsstands Feb. 6 and featured eight covers, a majority of which were photographed by model Kendall Jenner (see story).

Despite rises in digital media, affluent audiences' reading habits have retained print titles (see story).

"These types of collaborations truly allow and encourage brands to maximize the creativity, audience and core ethos of their partners," Martini Media's Mr. Krsulich said. "Branded content at this high level creates a truly emotional connection with the viewers, which, at times, go deeper than a traditional advertisement.

"This is martinis, dinner and a wonderful port wine, all at a spot downtown that is super hard to get into."

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