The Gucci Pineapple collection has a preppy, retro aesthetic. Image courtesy of Gucci
Italian fashion house Gucci is taking to a popular playground for the rich and glamorous in a colorful campaign for its newest capsule collection.
The lighthearted campaign for Gucci Pineapple is set at Palm Beach’s Colony Hotel, offering an antidote for the winter blues. Gucci tapped Tyler Mitchell to photograph and direct the campaign, with creative direction by Alessandro Michele and art direction by Charles Levai and Kevin Tekinel.
“There has always been a trend for brands to embrace a Palm Beach-retro vibe when it comes to creating a campaign, infusing the vibe in their product assortment or even to present their collection on the runway,” said Kimmie Smith, cofounder and creative director of Athleisure Mag, New York.
“It represents an easy style that leans on having means while also trying to live in the moment.”
Ms. Smith is not affiliated with Gucci, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Gucci R&R
The film, set to jazz musician Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father,” opens in the colorful hallways of the Colony Hotel. The hotel’s retro aesthetic complements the Gucci Pineapple collection’s color scheme of pastels and deep blues and greens.
Guests in an elevator playfully push the buttons for each floor. The spot also offers brief glimpses into different rooms, as people read, talk on the phone or play with a video camera against whimsical pastel backdrops.
The improvisational quality of jazz complements this quirky Gucci campaign
Poolside, a Gucci briefcase adorned with pineapple graphics and the phrase “What’s Inside” is posed on a diving board along with some pineapples. In another shot, a model lounges on the board and someone off-camera throws a pineapple into the pool.
Relaxation continues inside the rooms, as models jump on the beds and inspect their wardrobes. One man continues watching a vintage television set on the floor, for an ad-within-an-ad moment.
In a quick succession of shots, the men individually primp in the mirror, adjusting their hair or sunglasses.
Palm Beach is a laid-back, yet elevated, setting for the campaign. Image courtesy of Gucci
The parallels among the guests continue, as the models each stylishly stroll down their respective hotel hallways. Each room key is briefly shown, with their unique styles reinforcing Gucci’s appreciation for individuality.
The campaign’s final shot shows the men at a distance, walking together on the sidewalk by the beach as the afternoon sky turns to pink.
Colorful inspiration
Gucci introduced the colorful capsule of men’s ready-to-wear apparel and accessories earlier this February. The pineapple motif is incorporated throughout a selection of formalwear, streetwear, sneakers and leather accessories that is inspired by collegiate aesthetics, coats of arms and historical flags.
The collection is being showcased in Gucci stores around the world through dedicated window displays and pop-up installations in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Aventura and Ala Moana. The product selection is also available online at gucci.com (see story).
This campaign is not the first time that Gucci has taken inspiration from an iconic hotel.
Last fall, the Italian fashion label set its most recent Aria collection campaign at a hotel inspired by The Savoy Hotel in London. House founder Guccio Gucci worked at The Savoy as a bellhop, making the setting a historical reference as well (see story).
Both campaigns shared looks at what may happen behind closed doors at luxury hotels, whether it is relaxation or something more revealing.