Ah, Harry Styles and Gucci. Their pairing has been a gift, the kind that comes along so rarely that it feels deigned by the gods. The suits – oh all those glorious suits – paired with Harry’s luscious mane, flared trousers and fabulous pointed boots. A floral shirt or one made from silk, undone enough to reveal the edges of a tattoo. The blessed fresco of Harry holding that piglet while wearing a golden coronet. Divine, heavenly; a holy image.
But that pig picture wasn’t the end of Harry’s relationship with Gucci. While a campaign earlier this year saw him shot by Harmony Korine and hanging with a bunch of swans (honestly, Harry Styles x Animals should be a photograph book), the former One Direction boybander turned solo superstar has teamed up with the fashion giant for another brilliant campaign.
This latest campaign, the singer’s fourth, is for Gucci’s new gender neutral fragrance, Mémoire d’une Odeur, and once again showcases how creative director Alessandro Michele is bringing a fresh, innovative and exuberant creative edge to the brand.
However, it’s the campaign video that’s got us reeling. Shot in a castle in Rome, the short film looks like it could have been lifted from Ari Aster’s summer horror Midsommar. Cavorting through fields and frolicking before the ruins of the “ghost village” Canale Monterano, Harry – joined by the likes of Harris Reed, Ariana Papademetropoulos and a diverse cast of characters – looks like he’s joined a cult (or is at least attending one wacky day festival). There’s bonfire dancing, animal masks, costumes and free love, and it’s all soundtracked to Roxy Music’s psychedelic “In Every Dream Home a Heartache”. It is, quite frankly, a lot… but in the best way possible.
The campaign, which was photographed by Glen Lunchford and art directed by Christopher Simmonds, marks the first time in Gucci’s 98 year history that they’ve launched a gender neutral fragrance. Mémoire d’une Odeur has a fragrance profile centred around notes of chamomile and jasmine. Smells like it’s time to begin the ‘Harry Styles start a cult and let us join’ challenge.