face Qatar
as James Franco, Rihanna and Mark Ronson. How are these personalities selected? It’s not me – it’s Frida who has the eye for talent! I can say, though, that one thing always comes first – for example, take our recent collaboration with Charlotte Casiraghi - we do not consider her a spokeswoman for the brand, but rather, we see her as a friend of the house. Charlotte came on board because of a friendship, which was nurtured over time. We don’t take our ‘faces’ on just as contracts - the relationship is always more amicable than that. If you have someone who is doing it solely for the money, it will never work. The audience will feel it. We are fortunate to have celebrities working with us, because they like the brand and they like what we do.
“
Tell us about Gucci’s partnership with Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation. Why is it so important for you to help restore historic films, such as Once Upon a Time in America? Our partnership with the film foundation is part of a broader strategy, which is related to our social responsibility - the third dimension of our brand positioning. We support the preservation of culture for future generations – and such support extends to other arenas as well. Everything we do is part of a larger picture, all developed to stress our social responsibility – be it with the preservation of culture, or the support of music and cinema, or the funding of education through our UNICEF partnership. We do this, not because it is mandatory, but because we believe in being ethical and responsible.
one keystone is products which are bespoke in nature... the middle east is an advanced market for this kind of offering.
”
74
Tell us about your outlook on the Middle Eastern marketplace; has Gucci adapted its offerings for Arab customers? Apart from offering products applicable to the geography, such as sandals and lightweight garments, the most important thing is to be culturally close to each region we’re in, but still retain a uniform identity. None of this would work if Gucci was totally different between Milan, Paris and Dubai, for example. Let’s not forget that our customers are truly global – they travel the world and they’re highly involved. So, we have this overarching mindset of consistency, but then a number of initiatives are undertaken for each market. These initiatives have one common thread, which is to be wholly personal to the client, be it with accessories or ready-to-wear – it’s similar in essence to our red carpet line. One keystone is products, which are bespoke in nature, complete with top-tier service and after-sale followup. The Middle East is an advanced market for this kind of offering. Of course, traffic to and around the shops is important – the Middle East has these beautiful stores and malls, which
people enjoy, not just for shopping, but as a destination for social outings. It is equally important to be specific to the needs of these individuals, as they are oftentimes the trendsetters. In the Middle East, accessories sales can far outweigh those of ready-to-wear and couture. Have you found this to be Gucci's case in the region? Leather goods still account for 57% of overall business, so it’s likely that accessories will always represent the lion’s share. This isn’t to say, though, that ready-to-wear isn’t growing… Were you always interested in luxury brands? Absolutely not. I joined this industry by accident. My dream as a child was to draw comics and to paint. But then, coming from a middle-class family, this was a stretch – if I’d gone to art school I probably wouldn’t have been able to pay my bills. Thus, by a number of successive mistakes, I ended up studying business administration. I found marketing to be the most engaging course – so my dream became to sell products for Procter and Gamble. The minute before my interview, I received a call from a large textile company in Europe, which had licenses for various fashion brands. They’d signed a joint venture with a Japanese company for a sportswear brand, and they needed a manager. As it turns out, I had spent one year in Japan and I could speak the language. I couldn’t sleep that night. I knew nothing about fashion but it looked like a better fit, despite the security of working for P&G. That’s how it all started. Were you a good artist? As a kid, I was pretty good. Drawing isn’t something that one can really learn – it’s a gift. But any gift has to be nurtured – you have to train. I haven’t been drawing much, but I plan to once I retire. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? To believe in people whilst knowing that sometimes, people can fail you. You have to keep on believing, though. Name your style icons (one man, one woman): Sean Connery in Dr. No – I have never seen a man wearing a tuxedo more elegantly. For women, I’d say Grace Kelly or Charlotte (Casiraghi).
If you were given a one-year sabbatical, what would you do? Travel. Actually, I travel a lot, but I don’t know the world. I would really like to spend time exploring. Places like the Middle East and Asia are fascinating, but I should really begin with Italy. There are so many beautiful places that I have yet to experience… A dream yet to be fulfilled? [Di Marco draws a quick sketch in the air]