Gucci Brand Collabs : How Gucci Leverages Brand Partnerships for Growth

Gucci brand collaborations prove that there is a place for statement style in every market. With an expansive view on fashion, Gucci collaborates boldly for the benefit of its customers as well as its partners.

In recent years, Gucci’s brand partnerships have run the gamut from famous figures like Disney to lesser-known artists like Coco Capitán. Gucci’s vast and varied collaboration repertoire illustrates how its signature essence can enrich any brand in its orbit.

The Secret to Gucci Brand Collaborations

Gucci’s inclusive attitude toward brand collaborations can be traced back to the logo fiasco of 2015. Canadian snowboarder Trevor Andrew, also known as the “Gucci Ghost,” had been appropriating Gucci’s double G monogram in his graffiti-style art. 

Many brands would have sued the artist, but Gucci’s creative director decided to embrace him instead. Gucci and Trevor went on to launch an exclusive clothing collection, and that’s how the Gucci approach to brand collaborations was born. 

Gucci exemplifies the notion that brand collaborations are born of a growth mindset. Partnerships by nature require an expansive, generous view of the world rather than a narrow view of competition being a fight over a defined market. This attitude has enabled Gucci and its partners to reach new audiences across multiple industries.

Geek Chic: Giving Gucci Co-Marketing Strategies New Life

Before Allesandro Michele was appointed as Gucci’s creative director, the brand was in a creative slump and was having trouble differentiating from its competitors. 

Michele completely transformed the luxury label by introducing a brand new aesthetic: Geek Chic. This look abandoned the sleek, sultry style that many of Gucci’s peers had been after in favor of modest fashion with a whimsical twist. 

Michele’s creative strategy revolved around partnering with brands that could bring meaning to this look, such as the famous bookstore Maison Assouline. This collaboration resulted in a celebration of the kitschy bookworm aesthetic through bags and backpacks with literature-inspired patches.

If anyone can make ‘geek’ an aspiration, it’s Gucci. With the Gucci flare, what might have looked like a middle school girl’s craft project was instead deemed a splendid exploration of art and literature that appealed to audiences of all ages.   

Notable Gucci Brand Collabs in Gaming

Gucci x The Northface x Pókemon Go

High fashion and gaming may seem like an odd duo, but Gucci makes it feel intuitive.

Gucci’s collaboration with the The North Face and Pókemon Go brought luxury fashion to the digital world through avatar collectibles. The pieces were inspired by different cities around the world, and in order to collect them, players had to travel to a Gucci’s pop-up shop in one of the participating locations. 

This collab allowed users to dress their avatars in designer clothing that they probably wouldn’t have been able to afford in the real world. By making their products accessible in Pókemon Go, Gucci got in front of a whole new audience that they wouldn’t have reached otherwise. 

Gucci x FACEIT

Luxury fashion brands can easily enter the gaming world by making digital clothing, and like Gucci, many are taking advantage. However, Gucci’s collaborations with eSports brands like FACEIT take fashion x gaming to another level. 

As part of this deal, both brands launched the Gucci Gaming Academy, a program designed to help up-and-coming gamers improve their skills through coaching sessions and teamwork activities. The brands also enlisted the World Health Organization to support the gamers’ physical and mental health throughout the program. 

This collaboration signaled to consumers that Gucci’s involvement in gaming wasn’t because of a trend, but rather a genuine interest in the role of fashion in the digital world. By taking games seriously, Gucci engaged a demographic that probably wouldn’t have given the brand a second thought in any other context. 

Gucci x Xbox

One of Gucci’s best-known brand collabs is the Gucci x Xbox anniversary collection. For this collaboration, Gucci created a limited-edition Xbox console for the game brand’s 20th anniversary. 

The collection featured two remote controllers and a game console engraved with Gucci’s double G monogram, which is also the short version of “good game.” The anniversary package also included a vintage-style Gucci Hardcase, a reference to Gucci’s founder Guccio Gucci’s original luggage pieces.

Priced at 10k each, the collection made gaming feel like a luxury activity, and this message made an impression on fans of both brands. 

Gucci Brand Partnerships in Health

Gucci x Oura

The Gucci x Oura ring looks like something out of the Bat Cave or a James Bond movie. It’s a health-monitoring advice disguised as a sleek accessory. The Generation 3 ring is compatible with both Google Fit and Apple Health brands. Wearers can check their heart rate, monitor their activity levels, and see how well they’re sleeping at night.

While the original Oura ring sells for $250, Gucci’s signature essence brought the price to nearly $1000. The ring perfectly capture’s the Gucci flare with a sleek black band and an 18-carat gold braided trim. This Gucci brand collaboration intersects at least five markets: geek chic, fashion, high tech, health and wellness, and luxury. 

This collaboration is a great example of how Gucci can cross multiple dimensions without alienating any od their existing customers because their creative partnerships are seen as experimental and don’t pose any existential threat to either brand.

Gucci Co-Marketing With Fashion

Gucci x Balenciaga

Dubbed the Hacker Project, the Gucci x Balenciaga partnership brought both brands’ directors together in a burst of creative genius. The resulting shoes, apparel, and accessories embraced the gangsta rap aesthetic by combining Gucci’s high-fashion sensibilities with the spray-painted tags of a graffiti artist.

This collaboration made light of the logo incident of previous years by replacing Gucci’s double G monogram with a BB for Balenciaga. 

This collaboration marked Gucci’s centennial anniversary. To bring customers in on the celebration, Gucci built popups so that customers could have their accessories tagged by street artist Jack Greer.

The in-person aspect of this release supported Gucci’s goal of interacting with the community and marked the intersection of high fashion, urban fashion, and street art.

Gucci x Major League Baseball (MLB)

Gucci isn’t just interested in brand collaborations in eSports—it has an affinity for sports in the real world as well. Gucci’s collaboration with MLB was inspired by one of Michele’s Yankee’s baseball caps.

The collaboration resulted in backpacks, sneakers, hats, and accessories adorned with the Gucci logo as a decorative element and the team logos as the MLB marker. This collection brought luxury fashion to an unlikely industry and expanded Gucci’s reach in the process. 

Final Words on Gucci Brand Collaborations

The 2010’s marked a successful decade of brand collaborations for Gucci. Since 2019, the brand has doubled its revenue.

Much of Gucci's turnaround after the 2008 financial crises can be put down to growth built through expanding the brand's horizons through partnerships.

One recent stat suggests that 52% of companies who participate in brand collaborations get 20% of their money through these types of relationships. Gucci co-marketing growth highlights just how lucrative collaborating branding can be.