Sandra‘s Closet

Vault, Gucci’s experimental concept store, announces the arrival of its high summer collection. For the latest seasonal chapter in Vault’s tale, the warm sun, clear blue skies, and tranquil waters are subverted to become the canvas to picture eclectic summer stories through the depths of imagination.

Eight brands from around the globe have contributed to the selection that encompasses ready-to-wear, jewelry, shoes, and accessories for women and men curated for everything from carefree seaside getaways and outdoor adventures to the season’s most anticipated formal celebrations and rituals.

Vault Summer presents an array of styles and aesthetics by young brands as well as by fabled houses possessing decades of history.

Agua by Agua Bendita offers women’s beachwear and dresses hand-embroidered by Colombian artisans with native plants of Italy and the brand’s home country.

Emerging New York designer Connor McKnight puts forth a range of ready-to-wear for men inspired by vintage outdoor attire.

Parisian menswear brand Husbands delivers a complete selection of sartorial essentials marked by timeless formal tailoring.

A collection of minaudière clutch bags by Judith Leiber Couture includes playful reproductions of the brand’s highly collectible archival designs, showcased in museums such as London’s Victoria & Albert Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others.

Maison Michel proposes a selection of expertly crafted hats — both timeless and playful — for women and men.

Prounis Jewelry presents precious and semi-precious pieces crafted from 22-karat gold and responsibly sourced South Sea pearls, tourmaline, emeralds, and other gemstones.

Rowing Blazers introduces an array of signature rugby shirts alongside casual and elevated styles for men.

Joining the Vault line-up for the second consecutive season, Vans continues to surprise with its iconic silhouettes imagined in vibrant new colors and prints.

Transposing the hazy spirit of the collection, a campaign by Max Siedentopf blends references and clichés in a playful twist where Hollywood Glamour, slackers and tongue-in-cheek humor find common ground. With an emblematic blend of elegant formality and chic insouciance, an exuberant cast of characters embraces the laidback grandeur of a lakeside getaway in scenarios that ultimately showcase the dreamy reality of Summer.

Created exclusively for Vault, the limited-edition Vault Summer capsule collections will be available only online on gucci.com from May 22, 2023.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci
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A crystal ball heralds its arrival. Mysterious and fascinating, the magical globe is the gift the digital avatar of Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s Creative Director, offers Wagmi-san, world renowned digital artisan who has invited the designer – already on a journey towards new paradigms and forms of creativity – to his virtual shop in New Tokyo.

We cannot resist using the lexicon of fairy tales to describe ‘10KTF Gucci Grail’, the new initiative happening in Vault’s experimental space. In collaboration with digital accessory shop 10KTF, Gucci has created ad hoc digital outfits designed by Alessandro Michele and created by Wagmi-san to dress PFPs from eleven selected NFT collections including Bored Ape, World of Women, Cool Cats and many others. The «PFP» acronym stands for ‘Picture For Proof’, a NFT version of a profile photo, used by collectors both as their portrait and as extreme expressions of artistic and technological talent. The encounter between Wagmi-san and Alessandro Michele generates two custom Gucci looks, available in different colors, inspired respectively by the Aria and Love Parade collections, for those who aspire to express their individuality through fashion in the parallel digital worlds.

The House is already present in the realm of NFTs, the ‘Non-Fungible Tokens‘ that have transformed our experience of art, sublimating it into immaterial digital works. Acquiring personalised virtual garments also involves several steps, not unlike the actual process of securing a designer creation (which requires several fittings).

Over the past few days, the crystal ball has been accessible to three groups of people – those who already own a PFP; those who are members of the Gucci Vault community on the Discord server, and those who already ‘inhabit’ New Tokyo, where artisan Wagmi-san lives. Those who redeemed their crystal ball were able to choose between the different Gucci looks artfully tailored by Wagmi-san and receive their customized digital avatar.

With only a limited number of users involved, this project has the feel of a unique work: «10KTF Gucci Grail» not only highlights the individuality of each person, but it also unveils the huge, spectacular potential of virtual realities, enabling us to design a digital identity in an alternative world. To be dressed for the metaverse is to have another self that Vault allows us to generate through the codes of Gucci.

About 10KTF

Founded in September 2021, 10KTF is the leading shop known for producing bespoke digital accessories in the Metaverse. Located in New Tokyo, the shop is owned and operated by Wagmi-san, a renowned artisan who creates 1:1 digital collectibles for select parent NFT projects. 10KTF is a product of WENEW.

Follow @10ktfshop on Twitter for all of the latest happenings, or visit 10ktf.com to catch up on the full story.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: ©  Gucci / © 10KTF
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