As luxury brands continue to grapple with issues that have long preoccupied the industry—namely, sustainability and discrimination—Gucci has launched a program to reduce its environmental footprint while “supporting people’s rights and championing inclusivity and respect,” according to a statement from the brand.
As part of the Equilibrium program, as the initiative is called, Gucci will develop long-term plans to position itself in relation to the global fight for social justice, while cleaning up its production processes to make them more sustainable.
Specific objectives include a switch to 100 percent renewable energy in Gucci stores, offices, and warehouses by the end of 2020; a 50 percent reduction of the brand’s greenhouse gas emissions; and a 40 percent reduction of the environmental impact of its supply chains and production operations.
The platform also aims to involve Gucci’s audience in company decisions to “inspire and unify a community of voices to join the conversations that are critical in today’s world.”
To create the logo for the new platform, Gucci turned to Italian artist MP5, whose black-and-white graffiti-style works have long addressed issues like gender equality and race.
In the artwork she designed for Gucci, five bodies encircle a blue and green globe, both holding it up and using it as a platform on which to rest.
The design, according to MP5 and Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, is meant to underscore the connection between people and planet.
Another interation of the Gucci Equilibrium logo, designed by artist MP5. Image courtesy the artist and Gucci.
Special iterations of the image are also featured on the Gucci Equilibrium Instagram, which recently debuted a series of video contributions by the “Gucci Changemaker Class of 2020,” a diverse group of young artists and creatives from around the world who gathered to discuss world issues and creative industries, and the connections between them.
This isn’t the first time that Gucci has worked with MP5.
Last year, the artist designed a series of murals for the Gucci Garden, the brand’s museum and restaurant retreat in Florence, alongside illustrator Alex Merry.
The UK-based Merry, a longtime Gucci collaborator and former assistant to Damien Hirst, conceived illustrations of arched windows for the stairwells of the garden, which looked out onto a painted Piazza della Signoria and a series of landscapes.
Recently, Gucci Equilibrium partnered with the non-profit organization Artolution to fundraise for local artists from Rohingya’s refugee community in Bangladesh, who teamed up with local children to paint a series of murals.