Gucci made a bold statement about restrictive abortion laws during its Cruise 2020 show in Rome last night. In the grand setting of Italy's Capitoline Museum, creative director Alessandro Michele revealed a collection that championed women's freedom and self-expression. Michele's political statement comes as the debate over abortion continues to rage across the US.
The show was attended by a throng of fashion heavyweights and admirers of the brand, with the front row hosting Soairse Ronan, Naomi Campbell and Zoe Saldana. In the dimly lit museum, one model walked the runway wearing a royal blue suit with the slogan "My Body My Choice" printed on the back.
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The pro-choice message rang clear as the Italian design house displayed pieces including a bohemian embellished gown adorned with a diagram of the female reproductive system, T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase "Chime for Change" (the name of Gucci’s gender equality campaign, which launched in 2013), and a patterned button-up conveying the date May 22, 1978 – when abortion became legal in Italy. With a number of states in the US currently attempting to roll back abortion rights, the intent was clear.
Ahead of the Cruise show, Michele spoke to WWD about his views on the policing of women’s bodies, stating: "Nobody should have the right to decide about freedom of choice of any human being. No law should say to any person what to do or what not to do when it comes to very personal choices."
Awash with garish headgear, excess jewellery, metallic accents and Michele's staple pussybow blouses, the designer's 1970s influences were woven throughout the collection. Michele says his affection for the era stems from it being "a historical moment when women — finally — rejected all the constraints that were imposed in the previous centuries and they became free."
Georgia recently became the fourth state in America to sign off on a 'heartbeat bill', essentially preventing a woman from terminating a pregnancy after six weeks and making the procedure punishable by up to 99 years in prison. Meanwhile Missouri might become the first state without an abortion clinic since the historic Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973, which legalised abortion in the US. The recent news cycle has caused outcry, prompting women and a host of celebrities to speak about their own experiences online using the hashtag #YouKnowMe. And let's not forget that abortion remains entirely illegal in Northern Ireland.