What does Enzo Mari have to do with the Gucci fashion show?

The Timor calendar is the star of the Kering brand’s advertising panels for this Fashion Week. But it is not as strange as it seems.

An icon of Italian design dominates the advertising panels in Milan these days. It has a new, never-before-seen look. It is the Perpetual Calendar that Enzo Mari designed in 1967 for Danese and that Gucci has dressed, of course, with the now unmistakable Rosso Ancora, the colour that has become synonymous with the brand since Sabato de Sarno took over as its creative director. This particular version of the Timor also came with the invitation to attend the fashion show live.

The object marks Friday, 20 September, the date of the show organised on the occasion of Milan Fashion Week: the company pays homage to the tradition of industrial design in our country to invite you to follow the event, broadcast in streaming on digital channels.

Enzo Mari, Timor, 1967. Courtesy Danese Milano

Even the location is a tribute to the history of design: to present the new collection, Gucci selects - for the second time - the Milan Triennale, temple of Italian design culture, reference point for lovers of the discipline and home to the museum dedicated to it.

The spaces of the building designed by Giovanni Muzio, obviously covered in Rosso Ancora, host a set built with a few elements in solid colours that frame the minimal outfits of the new collection.

Photo @sabatods da Instagram

But this is not the only occasion Gucci has taken to celebrate Italian design under De Sarno’s management. During last design week, the rooms of the flagship store on Via Montenapoleone hosted some masterpieces by the great Italian masters, including the Opachi vase by Tobia Scarpa for Venini and the Storet chest of drawers designed for Acerbis by Nanda Vigo. Obviously all in Ancora red: there was also a piece signed by Gae Aulenti and Pietro Castiglioni for FontanaArte and the Le Mura sofa by Mario Bellini for Tacchini.