India and Italy have a lot in common, especially the tradition of luxury.
— Marco Bizzarri
The kind of contact that they make with the customer is what brings them back to shop. The experience, the feeling that you have in the store is what makes the difference.
I am definitely a person who firmly believes in the human touch and in the importance of people.
Moving to one show each season will significantly help to simplify many aspects of our business. Maintaining two separate, disconnected calendars has been a result of tradition rather than practicality.
Women, for Gucci, as you can imagine, are very important.
You always need to be curious and study.
Creative directors can be egocentric, they say. I decide; they shout at people and harass. I don't want that.
We are not saving lives. We are selling dreams.
Gucci has always represented great design and contemporary lifestyle.
Being socially responsible is one of Gucci's core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals.
The luxury market and its consumer are very flexible and reactive.
I know China pretty well. I have worked there in 1993 and 1997.
The minute you think, 'I have done it' or 'I know what is happening,' you will start to go down.
I tend to make my most important decisions by following my instincts rather than any straightforward logic.
An authentic and honest brand narrative is fundamental today; otherwise, you will simply be edited out.
Gucci has great potential worldwide. Since it's inception in 1921, the brand has had a big visibility and many followers.
We realised that the safer creative people and craftsman feel, the better the collection they produce. If they do a better collection, my revenues grow. It is not easy to attach figures, but it is what happens.
If you have a culture of respect, creativity flows. You create this energy, and then people have more desire to take risks.
I wanted to have a creative director crazy enough to say, 'Sure, I'll do a collection in five days.'
From a branding standpoint, the show represents only a fraction of our business, and the impact you actually have on the consumer is super, super tiny. I mean, what about the pre-collection? That is just as important as the show.
Technology is now available that means you don't need to use fur. The alternatives are luxurious. There is just no need.
We say that our world must think of and listen to consumers, and this is true, but not too much, in the sense that if you want to change and innovate, you must also think with your own head. Maybe you make choices that the market is not ready to accept but that will be accepted in 18 or 24 months.
Europe is one of the best travel destinations in the world.
If talented people across teams, functions, and geographies share the same passion and dedication, the results can be remarkable.
You cannot change strategy due to a trend.
In a company like Gucci, you can lose millions and millions in a second.
The market is moving so fast, there is nothing set into the wall. You need to be very, very flexible.
At a certain point, you have to stop reading social.
In fashion, the minute you say, 'I am successful,' is the minute you are going down.
Sometimes emotions are more important than rationality.
Has anyone actually asked the customer if they want to have something available directly after the show? You hear that three bags are going to be released tomorrow in five shops, so you produce 15 bags. How many customers are you going to satisfy with that? Fifteen!
Creativity is our North Star. This way of working and this speed, this new opening and innovation, putting everything in discussion must remain at the base of what we do.
Diversity and inclusion, which are the real grounds for creativity, must remain at the center of what we do.
