Who knew that my first visit down Rodeo Drive would lead to the inspiration behind my latest art collection?! Something as simple as nail polish led me to the phenomenal story of a badass fashion designer who chose to take a big risk by being true to himself and following his heart.
INSPIRATION STARTED WITH NAIL POLISH (PART 1)
A few weeks ago, some friends invited me to tag along a visit to the iconic Rodeo Drive. I instantly fell in love with @Gucci ’s vibrant nail polish collection. Since I’ve been painting with acrylics lately, my mind hasn’t stopping obsessing over new and eclectic color palettes. 🎨 That was the beginning of the journey to create these magical pieces and I’m excited to share the entire story (along with the work)!
INSPIRED BY BADASSERY (PART 2)
When you walk into the @Gucci flagship store on Rodeo Drive, it's hard not to be mesmerized by the extreme maximalist aesthetic. If you are familiar with Gucci fashion, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's a hideously gorgeous combination of old Hollywood style and everything gaudy from your Aunt Linda's closet. The crazy thing is that Gucci looked radically different not very long ago. The brand transformed in 2015, after an act of bravery by a no-name designer.
Before Alessandro Michele was appointed as Gucci's head creative director, he worked under his predecessor, Frida Giannini. At the time, Gucci's retail sales were declining and Frida was fired. It was a shocking time for the brand and the fashion industry as it was just a week before the Menswear Fashion show. With it just 5 days away, Gucci appointed Alessandro to fill in as the interim designer. He accepted the challenge, and instead of playing it safe and sticking to the original line up (Frida's designs), he made the gutsy decision to follow his intuition and implement the gender-fluid, romantic and colorful looks that no on e had ever seen before in Gucci menswear.
Alessandro's bold move ultimately paid off as he was later hired as head creative director of Gucci. To this day, Alessandro's impact to push forward-thinking fashion continues to benefit the brand and revolutionize how the world sees value, gender and even identity. Talk about an icon!