By Julianna Tramposch
To celebrate the launch of their Animal-Free Bag, Italian fashion house Gucci has Billie Eilish be the face of their new campaign. This campaign further depicts Gucci as an environmentally conscious and authentic luxury fashion brand. The star of this campaign, besides Billie herself, is the Gucci Horsebit 1955.
This bag is made from a luxury innovative material called Demetra. Demetra is a leather alternative that is made from 75% plant-based raw materials, which are renewable and bio-based. Gucci factories in Italy began producing Demetra in 2021, debuting this material that inevitably has become part of the Gucci image through their sneaker line.
According to the press release from June 17, 2021, “Demetra is a new category of material that encapsulates Gucci’s quality and aesthetic standards with our desire to innovate, leveraging our traditional skills and know-how to create for an evolving future.” This is the first handbag Gucci has created using Demetra, and with their decision to revamp one of their most iconic bags, Gucci’s commitment to protecting the environment is loud and clear.
Billie Eilish is a perfect face for this campaign due to her passion for animal rights and her rigorous advocacy for the vegan lifestyle. According to Fashionista, this decision makes sense because Billie’s brand image aligns with Gucci’s commitment to the people and the planet. Billie was People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Person of the Year in 2021. While former recipients include Oprah Winfrey and Pope Francis, Billie’s win is notable as she is the youngest person to have won this award. Billie has organized mini climate summits with young environmental activists filmed by Mike Mills. As seen in Vogue’s article “Our Future: Billie Eilish on Climate Activism and Radical Hope,” this summit had a theme of healing.
“It’s all about healing, healing the earth heals ourselves,” Eilish said. “Healing ourselves heals the earth.”
Billie also uses her status to teach and convince fashion labels to change. In 2021, she wore Oscar De La Renta to the Met Gala, presupposing Oscar De La Renta stops using fur.
This campaign was designed using an array of candid moments to create an album-like video of Billie paired with her own song, “What Was I Made For?” It tastefully showcases Billie in her truest forms, as well as various Gucci pieces and the Horsebit 1955.
In addition to the Demetra material, this design is asymmetrical and comes in a black faux-leather color with a silver chain, retailing at $3500, and a tan color with the signature logo pattern, retailing at $3200.
Finally, Gucci has also made a significant contribution to support a non-profit organization whose purpose is to use a plant-based food system to combat food insecurity and climate issues. The organization was created by Billie’s mother, Maggie Baird, and is called Support + Feed. Gucci Equilibrium is a website that communicates their work for positive change among people and the planet. You can visit their website at, https://equilibrium.gucci.com/.
Together, Gucci and Billie show their promise for a conscious future in fashion.