For its spring/summer 2023 collection, Gucci has gone one better than just a runway show; it revealed a collection in collaboration with British singer-songwriter Harry Styles.
A long-time fan of Gucci, Styles is already known as something of a fashion dandy, who loves to play with codes and colour, while embracing the quirky and the unusual. While this tie-up may be surprising, it's not altogether unexpected.
Styles and Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele have apparently been friends for years, from back when the singer went solo and Michele took over at the Italian luxury house. In what the company describes as a “synthesis of a friendship”, the pair have now joined forces to create a limited-edition menswear offering, revealed in Milan on Monday.
Called Ha Ha Ha, it is the sound of laughter, and the initials of both men's first names, making it a project that was “born from a creative relationship that self-generates from amusement and ends with the tangibility of a product”.
Speaking of why he chose to work with Styles, Michele says: “Harry has an incredible sense of fashion. Observing his ability to combine items of clothing in a way that is out of the ordinary, compared to the required standards of taste and common sense and the homogenisation of appearance, I came to understand that the styling of a look is a generator of differences and of powers, as are his reactions to the designs I have created for him, which he has always made his own; these reactions restore me with a rush of freedom every time.
“The idea of working together came to me one day while we were talking on the phone: I proposed creating a 'dream wardrobe' with him, starting from those small oddities that come together in childlike visions.”
The resulting collection shifts through fashion eras with ease, mixing a shared love of vintage with the joyful ideas of childhood. For example, there's a three-piece suit in yellow checks that is patterned with drawings of cherries and lambs, a cheeky nod to when Styles starred in the Gucci autumn/winter 2018 campaign with a lamb draped over his shoulders.
“We ended up with a mix of aesthetics from 1970s pop and Bohemian,” says Michele. This includes herringbone overcoats and cardigans knitted with interlocking Gs, to retro patchworked leather bomber jackets.
Bespoke details such as covered and mother-of-pearl buttons elevate shirts, while velvet suits and lined, hooded coats bring a sense of decadence.
More laid-back elements such as bowling shirts appear alongside pyjamas, and even denim is treated for a new, carefree aesthetic. Not surprisingly, there are plenty of Gucci codes, such as checks and stripes that turn up as suits and even a kilt, while its famous fur-lined loafers also make a welcome appearance.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the style evolution of Harry Styles.
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Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction attend the Very fashion show at Victoria House on November 24, 2010 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in a skinny tie, attends the premiere of 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' at Odeon Leicester Square on November 30, 2010 in London, England. Getty Images -
Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, wearing a relaxed shirt and jeans, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan attend the X Factor press conference at the Connaught Hotel on December 9, 2010 in London, England. Getty Images -
Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, in a grey blazer, attend the Jingle Bell Ball at O2 Arena on December 4, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images -
Niall Horan, Harry Styles, in a three-piece suit and bow tie, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne attend the Brit Awards at the O2 Arena on February 21, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images -
Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, in a blue blazer and bow tie, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson arrive at the Logie Awards at the Crown Palladium on April 15, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in a preppy blazer, performs at Hisense Arena on April 16, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Burberry, arrives at the Burberry fashion show at Kensington Gardens on September 17, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in a cardigan and T-shirt, attends a press conference to promote the album 'Take Me Home' in Tokyo, Japan, on January 18, 2013. EPA -
Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, in skinny jeans, attend the NRJ Music Awards at Palais des Festivals on January 26, 2013 in Cannes, France. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in a Burberry shirt, attends the "One Direction: This is Us" premiere at the Empire Leicester Square on August 20, 2013 in London, England. Getty Images -
Kelly Osbourne and Harry Styles, in a simple tee and jeans, attend the House of Holland show during London Fashion Week on September 14, 2013 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Burberry, arrives at the Burberry show during London Fashion Week at Kensington Gardens on September 16, 2013 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Saint Laurent, attends the British Fashion Awards at London Coliseum on December 2, 2013 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Burberry, attends the Burberry show at London Fashion Week at Kensington Gardens on February 17, 2014 in London, England. Getty Images -
Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Harry Styles, in a slogan tee, pose prior to performing at Wembley Stadium on June 8, 2014 in London, England. Getty Images -
Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, in Saint Laurent, attend The Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium on November 13, 2014 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in an embroidered jacket, arrives for the American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on November 23, 2014. EPA -
Harry Styles, in Lanvin, attends the British Fashion Awards at London Coliseum on December 1, 2014 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Louis Vuitton, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan attend the 40 Principales Awards photocall at the Barclaycard Centre on December 12, 2014 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Gucci, arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theatre on November 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images -
Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, in a Rolling Stones tee, attend a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico, on November 25, 2015. EPA -
Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, in pinstripe flares, and Niall Horan attend the BBC Music Awards at Genting Arena on December 10, 2015 in Birmingham, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Gucci, arrives at the 'Dunkirk' premiere at Odeon Leicester Square on July 13, 2017 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Givenchy, performs during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Arena on November 20, 2017 in Shanghai, China. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Gucci, attends the iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 22, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Alexander McQueen, arrives at the Aria Awards at The Star on November 28, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Gucci, and Stevie Nicks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn, New York, on March 29, 2019. Reuters -
Harry Styles, in Gucci, attends the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, on May 6, 2019. Reuters -
Harry Styles, in Gucci, attends the Brit Awards at The O2 Arena on February 18, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images -
Roman Kemp and Harry Styles, in Gucci, attend the Brits after-party at The Standard on February 18, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images -
Harry Styles, in Gucci, performs on NBC's 'Today' show on February 26, 2020, in New York, US. AP
