Milan played host to a captivating exploration of heritage and innovation as Gucci presented “Gucci | Bamboo Encounters” during Fuorisalone 2025. Set within the historic 16th-century cloisters of Chiostri di San Simpliciano, the exhibition, curated and designed by 2050+ and its founder Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, celebrated the enduring legacy of bamboo within the House’s iconic design history.
“Gucci | Bamboo Encounters” drew inspiration from Gucci’s pioneering use of bamboo in the mid-1940s, a resourceful innovation that famously led to the creation of the now-iconic Gucci Bamboo 1947 handbag. Over the ensuing decades, bamboo transcended its functional origins to become a celebrated and deeply symbolic code for the House, weaving its way through the intertwined realms of art, culture, and design.
The exhibition built upon this rich narrative, showcasing the material’s lasting impact and its remarkable ability to bridge the past and present in perpetually evolving forms. To illustrate this dynamic relationship, Gucci invited a diverse group of contemporary designers and artists from across the globe to offer their unique perspectives on bamboo.
Visitors encountered a series of bold and unexpected reimaginings of the material. Swedish-Chilean artist Anton Alvarez paid homage to bamboo’s inherent form with his sculpture, 1802251226. Palestinian architect, artist, and researcher Dima Srouji presented Hybrid Exhalations, a thought-provoking display of found bamboo baskets enhanced with hand-blown glass elements.
Dutch design collective Kite Club, comprising Bertjan Pot, Liesbeth Abbenes, and Maurice Scheltens, offered a playful tribute with Thank you, Bamboo, a collection of kites crafted from both contemporary materials and bamboo itself. Austrian designer Laurids Gallée reinterpreted the material through a contemporary lens in his resin design pieces titled Scaffolding. French artist Nathalie Du Pasquier recontextualized the theme with her installation PASSAVENTO, featuring bamboo panels and elegant silk fabrics.
Seoul-based designer and artist Sisan Lee integrated traditional Korean aesthetics with modern techniques in his Engraved aluminum creations, offering a unique cross-cultural dialogue with the material. Finally, the back studio, a collaboration between Turin-based Eugenio Rossi and Mumbai-based Yaazd Contractor, illuminated bamboo through a captivating light installation, bamboo assemblage n.1, reflecting the harmonious interplay between tradition and modernity.
“Gucci | Bamboo Encounters” proved to be a compelling exploration of a material deeply intertwined with the House’s identity, showcasing its enduring versatility and inspiring contemporary interpretations within the vibrant context of Fuorisalone 2025.
