Gucci drafts nine artists to transform its silk scarves

‘90 x 90’ is the title of a new project from Gucci, a reference to the proportions of the Italian house’s silk scarves, which came into style in the 1960s after their adoption by the glamorous, country-hopping jet set. Boldly decorated with its signature motifs – from the classic metal horsebit to lush depictions of flora and fauna – the silk scarf has become one of Gucci’s foundational accessories, endlessly riffed upon by the house’s creative directors, from Tom Ford to Alessandro Michele.

Transforming the 90cm by 90cm square of silk into a canvas, ‘90 x 90’ invites nine international artists to respond to five thematic prompts that run through the brand’s archive: flora, fauna, nautical, equestrian and signature double-G monogram, an emblem which this year celebrates 50 years since its creation by Aldo Gucci. Flora, meanwhile, references the 1966 Botticelli-inspired illustration by Vittorio Accornero de Testa, which adorned a silk scarf gifted to Princess Grace of Monaco on her visit to the Gucci store on Milan’s Via Montenapoleone that same year (the neck scarf would remain one of her style signatures).

The roster includes conceptual American artist Robert Barry, whose version of the scarf features elegant twists of nautical ropes and chains, and Jonny Niesche, an Australian painter who reimagines the Gucci monogram through a saturated use of colour reminiscent of his own abstract words. The rest of the line-up encompasses performance artist Sara Leghissa, graphic designer Currynew, illustrator Gio Pastori, animators Yu Cai and Inji Seo, and cartoonists Everett Glenn and Walter Petrone.