If a picture speaks a thousand words, then memes can launch a thousand likes on social media, especially if you have the wisecrack of Insta-famous personalities and meme creators like @thefatjewish. Part of Gucci’s branding and marketing genius is the fact that it’s so connected to the social media world and remains accessible and relatable to its new millennial fan base.
Its creative director Alessandro Michele is known for being a serial talent hunter on social media and has turned up with some genius collaborations with the likes of San Francisco-based illustrator @mrsjaydefish for spring/summer ’17 and @cococapitan for fall. Michele’s discovery of these under-the-radar creatives and cultural provocateurs means that they would most often, than not, turn into the next big thing in pop culture and art.
That seems to be exactly what we foresee to happen with the latest meme-slash-watch campaign that the brand just launched on its Instagram. Called the #TFWGUCCI, the “TFW” in the moniker is a nod to how memes usually being with the words, “That feeling when…” As its name suggests, the entire campaign blitz works around the concept of memes by 29 different artists and meme-creators, featuring the brand’s range of watches.
Besides works by the popular meme designers like Willy Ndatila and Jessica Anteby, what sticks out about this project is the rebellious attitude, alternative slant and humour not seen in previous projects undertaken by a luxury brand. Think a model’s face covered in a Gucci dust bag or Gucci’s snake motif and watch design tattooed on a model’s face. Perhaps the most notable move by Michele here is the fact that some of the names he plucked off social media are relative unknowns with Instagram followings which do not even cross the 1,000 mark.
Could Michele be fashion’s most hardworking curator? What’s for sure his pick has got us already following these names on social media. Here, we highlight some of them most exciting talents from this creative outing.