Gucci launches Vault vintage site during Milan Fashion Week
MILAN-The Associated Press
![Gucci launches Vault vintage site during Milan Fashion Week](http://image.hurimg.com/i/hurriyet/75/0x0/615027274e3fe007646fef56.jpg)
Gucci on Sept. 25 launched an e-commerce site featuring refurbished vintage Gucci pieces alongside capsule collections by young designers chosen by Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele.
Michele said the project was born out of his life-long obsession with collecting fashion, including Gucci items before he ever joined the brand.
“Yes, I do this work to tell stories. But I also do it because I truly love objects,” he told reporters in Milan.
The young designers featured included London-based Priya Ahluwalia. Of Nigerian and Indian descent, Ahluwalia’s upcycled collections have already found a broad audience ranging from sports figures like Lewis Hamilton to middle-aged hipsters.
“Completely out of the blue, I got a message from Gucci. I thought it was an advertisement or spam,” Ahluwalia said.
“When I realized it was real, I was extremely happy.”
Michele said the brand has a vast network of sources for vintage Gucci, which it has been tapping to rebuild its archive.
The launch includes a white Jackie bag meticulously cared for by its previous owner that he wanted to keep for himself.
Then, laughing, he said, “Who knows, maybe I will log on tonight and buy it myself!”
Gucci has stepped away from the Milan Fashion Week calendar, finding its own rhythms. Its next show is on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, coinciding with the 10th LACMA Art, Film Gala, which Gucci is sponsoring.