The pop icon Harry Styles has quickly become a trailblazer in the realm of fashion, branding himself as the new muse for trend-setting couture houses. The former teenage heartthrobs' most recent fashion venture is his starring in Gucci's new campaign, #Beloved.
In celebration of the fashion house's stellar 100 years in the game, Gucci enlisted Styles to promote a new line of luxury handbags. He wasn't alone though. Six other big names are attached to the campaign - Serena Willams, Awkwafina, James Gordon, Dakota Johnson, Diane Kenton, and Sienna Miller.
Styles is no stranger to the Italian fashion house. Who can forget his iconic 2021 Grammy performance, when he performed his hit song "Watermelon Sugar" while wearing one of Gucci's posh, yet risqué banana necklaces?
Or his 2018 Gucci advertisement in the freshly reopened fish and chip store, The Camp Fish Shop? At this point, it's safe to say that Styles is the poster boy for the brand.
Initial portraits for the campaign were shot by Harmony Korine. In them, Styles can be seen posing against a luxurious, blue velvet backdrop and sporting a massive fur coat. At second glance, one can spot its resemblance to one worn by pop queen Lady Gaga during the production of the upcoming crime biopic, "House of Gucci" - a movie that tells the tale of the former head of the Italian house, Maurizio Gucci's, assassination. Underneath the coat is a flashy, floral shirt.
While the #Beloved line is officially set to release on April 22nd, ELLE had the scope on what Gucci has in store bag fanatics.
"The Beloved collection is comprised of four iconic styles: the Jackie 1961, Horsebit 1955, Dionysus, and Marmont," according to ELLE, "many of which were introduced by [Alessandro] Michele in his first fashion shows. "
Creative director, Alessandro Michelle landed his role at Gucci in January 2015 - though he'd be working for the house since 2002. Michelle was tasked with curating the line after François-Henri Pinault proposed a 2021 strategy for the company to heighten sales for handbags. Fun fact: handbags were the catalyst of Gucci as the company started off selling backs to horsemen in 1921.
With a star-studded cast of style-savvy celebs beside him, Styles' image continues to become synonymous with the Gucci brand in this new campaign. We'll just have to wait until April to see how this chic line turns out!
Sources: Page Six, BBC News, ELLE, Business Insider