The Eastern world seems fascinating the Western luxurious labels like never before. The changing dimensions of the luxury markets and rich heritage of East make Gucci lately ensconce itself in one such rapidly growing Korean market.
The Italian luxury brand of late positioned itself in the region as a brand to look out for through various social initiatives and aggressive marketing strategies. One such move sees Gucci investing in developing the fashion talent while making a commitment to preservation of the Korean heritage through different sponsorships and scholarship programs.
The opening ceremony of Gucci’s special exhibit at the Korean Furniture Museum, featuring 70 archival pieces from Gucci Museo, entitled “Timeless Touch of Craftsmanship: Korean Heritage Meets 91 Years of Gucci Archive”, saw the brand announcing a five year sponsorship agreement with National Trust Korea to preserve traditional Korean heritage through a total donation of KRW 500 million. The donation will be used for the projects of the trust that focus on preservation of historical Korean sites and cultural resources in Korea.
On the other hand, the exhibit running from April 26 to May 12, 2012 shows striking harmony between the Italian craftsmanship of Gucci’s archival pieces and Korean artisans’ worked as seen through approximately 1,500 furniture and accessory items that boast 300 years of history in Korean traditional houses, known as ‘Hanok.’
Gucci’s 14 years of high fashion and social endeavors in the region are put by Patrizio di Marco, Gucci President and CEO, in a manner, “Korea is an essential market for Gucci. We are dedicated not only to serving our sophisticated Korean customers with exclusive services and products, but also to benefiting the Korean community through on-going social investments.”
Another initiative by the brand is voiced by its Creative Director who lately announced 5-year scholarship initiative to support university students who are majoring in fashion-related fields to develop their talent and career. On this special occasion, Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini appeared in front of 450 senior university students for a question-and-answer session titled, ‘In Conversation with Frida Giannini’.
The program in partnership with Korea Student Aid Foundation will see Gucci awarding bursary aid for five students for a five-year period. The program will not only help students financially, but will also support their career aspirations in fashion by providing them with the exclusive opportunity to visit Gucci’s leather goods factory in Florence and fashion show in Milan.
On the occasion Frida put, “Today I was overwhelmed by the passion Korean students have for achieving their academic and professional goals, and I am delighted to support these talented future generations with our new Gucci Scholarship Program. In addition to financial aid, we are especially proud to offer career support that will bring students to Italy to gain international experience in the fashion industry.”
