Gucci has not disappeared, but the brand has gone through major creative and business shifts and is currently in a period of strategic repositioning within the luxury market.
Recent brand situation
In the mid‑2020s, Gucci faced slowing growth after a long boom period, as newer collections struggled to connect with consumers as strongly as the Alessandro Michele era did. Commentators note that heavy reliance on trends, outlets, and discounting weakened its aura of exclusivity and contributed to a perception that the brand had become too mainstream for top‑tier luxury positioning.
Strategic changes in 2025
In 2025, Gucci focused on recalibrating its strategy, including more emphasis on “hard luxury” categories like watches and jewelry and on tightly curated holiday and pre‑fall collections. The 2025 festive campaign, for example, shifted messaging from conspicuous status to intimate gifting and prioritized high‑margin products and key regions such as Asia‑Pacific to navigate a softer luxury market.
Longer historical context
Historically, Gucci has already survived one severe crisis: family infighting and debt led to the Gucci family losing control of the company in 1993, followed by a dramatic revival under new professional management and designers like Tom Ford. That trajectory—collapse, reinvention, and comeback—is often cited as a precedent for the brand’s current attempt to restore a clear identity and rebuild desirability after recent missteps.
