Luxury brand Gucci was honoured with a Special Recognition Award for its “We Will Always Have London” campaign at The Fashion Awards 2024. The campaign, conceived by Creative Director Sabato De Sarno and photographed by acclaimed artist-activist Nan Goldin, features cultural icons Debbie Harry and Kelsey Lu, serving as a tribute to London’s creative energy and its influence on fashion.
The Fashion Awards, organised by the British Fashion Council, celebrates the role of fashion at the intersection of culture and entertainment and spotlights creative talent. The Special Recognition Award honours outstanding contribution to the fashion industry and longstanding commitment to British excellence. This year, the award honours Gucci’s “We Will Always Have London”.
“We are delighted to honour Gucci, with a Special Recognition Award for the “We Will Always Have London” campaign, directed by Creative Director Sabato De Sarno and captured by the legendary Nan Goldin,” said Caroline Rush, Chief Executive, British Fashion Council. “London has long been a source of inspiration within the global fashion industry and the campaign beautifully captures the spirit and energy that makes our city so iconic. It truly showcases the city’s unique influence in fashion, art and music worldwide. We can’t wait to celebrate Gucci and Nan Goldin in December.”
The Fashion Awards is a key fundraiser of the British Fashion Council Foundation, which supports the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on education, grant-giving and business mentoring since 2019. This foundation is the only charity in the UK that comprehensively supports fashion talent from education and scholarships through emerging talent to growth funds. For the period March 2020 – March 2024, the BFC Foundation remitted a total of £4.3million across its initiatives.
The awards night was well attended by cultural and fashion luminaries. Co-hosted by Maya Jama and Kojey Radical, guests included Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Julia Fox, Debbie Harry, Ashley Graham, Nicola Coughlan, Ambika Mod, Simone Ashley, Stanley Tucci, Joe Jonas, Jamie Dornan, Olivia Dean, Alex Consani, Mona Tougaard and Anok Yai. At the ceremony, Nan Goldin and Kelsey Lu accepted the award, presented by Chioma Nnadi, Head of Editorial Content at British Vogue. The evening featured a surprise performance by Debbie Harry, who sang “Heart of Glass”.
The evening featured a surprise performance by Debbie Harry, who sang “Heart of Glass”.
Gucci and its relationship with London
Kering-owned luxury brand Gucci draws on its rich history, Italian craftsmanship and contemporary design to create distinct looks for an elegant modern consumer. Per Statistica, Gucci was the fourth most valuable luxury brand worldwide in 2022, behind Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Hermès with market value of about US$37.9 billion. The luxury fashion brand’s modern, luxury collections of ready to wear, accessories, handbags, footwear, jewellery, watches and fragrances has helped it maintain a competitive edge.
Few know that the luxury fashion brand is deeply entrenched in London. The Gucci Cosmos exhibition, held at 180 Studios on The Strand London from 11-31 December 2023, showcased the house signatures, from the Bamboo bag to the Jackie and the Horsebit, from its 102-year-long history. British artist Es Devlin created a show space that paid homage to London, through a series of imaginative sets, sculptures and multimedia artwork. This exhibit was noteworthy because it showcased never-before-seen items from the Gucci archive and some of their most iconic pieces and provided insights into the pivotal role that London has played in the history of the Italian luxury brand.
Per Instituto Marangini: ‘As you step into the Gucci Cosmos, you will be transported back to 1897, where you’ll find yourself in the lobby of The Savoy hotel, just 500 meters from 180 The Strand… This is where the dream of a young man named Guccio Gucci began. Gucci migrated from Florence to London to work as a luggage porter and lift boy at the hotel. London likely marked the inception of Gucci’s business journey, sparking the curiosity of a visionary man drawn to the elite realm of luxury leather luggage and goods, which eventually propelled him into the fashion industry.’
In 2024, Gucci staged Cruise 2025 at Tate Modern, London. Per British Fashion Council: ‘As part of this celebration, the fourth volume of Gucci’s Prospective series, Ancora Londra, was recently unveiled at the New Bond Street store. Curated by Charlene Prempeh and Lewis Dalton Gilbert, the book explores the contrasts and creative energy of London, reflecting the city’s influence on both the Cruise collection and Gucci’s ongoing narrative.’
Building on Gucci Cruise 2025, the luxury fashion brand strengthens its commitment to cultural and community impact through a three-year collaboration with Tate Modern, supporting young creatives launching in 2025. These efforts, astride the Gucci Changemakers London programme, which funds scholarships for students at the London College of Fashion, reflect Gucci’s dedication to empowering diverse communities through creativity and highlight London’s central role in Gucci’s narrative as both a source of inspiration and a platform for nurturing new talent.
10 Little-Known Facts About Gucci
Gucci set a record in 2018 as the most-searched fashion label on Google! Image: www.gucci.com
- Gucci was founded in Florence, Italy, in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, originally as a luggage and equestrian goods company.
- The iconic double-G logo was designed in 1933 by Guccio Gucci’s son, Aldo, to represent his father’s initials.
- In the 1950s, Gucci pioneered the bamboo-handled bag, which remains one of the brand’s most iconic designs.
- Gucci’s Flora scarf, made for Grace Kelly in 1966, became a timeless symbol of the brand’s elegance.
- The Gucci family no longer owns the brand; it was sold entirely to the French conglomerate Kering by 1999.
- Gucci is credited with creating the first fashion runway video game, “Gucci Arcade,” blending fashion with interactive entertainment.
- The famous Gucci loafers were the first footwear to be displayed in the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Gucci introduced sustainable initiatives like “Gucci Off the Grid” to focus on eco-friendly and recycled materials in fashion.
- In 2021, Gucci celebrated its centennial with the “Aria” collection, blending history with modern interpretations of its heritage.
- The brand set a record in 2018 as the most-searched fashion label on Google, reflecting its global influence and popularity.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
