Gucci Expands Customization to Unisex Jackets, Shoes, Men’s Clothing

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After starting to offer customization options for its Dionysus handbag in late May, Gucci is going deeper on the range of products that shoppers can personalize with embroidery, patches, and monogramming. According to a release from the brand, that now includes men’s evening jackets, formal shirts, knitwear, leather biker jackets — and, even better, unisex bombers and denim jackets, along with a handful of men’s and women’s shoes.

The new selection made its debut at Gucci’s spring 2017 menswear show in Milan on Monday. One model took to the grass green catwalk in a pale blue floral suit with an L stitched in metallic thread on the breast and leaf-like embroidery running down the shoulder; greenery spread over another leather jacket. Jared Leto, who took Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele to the Oscars as his date, sat front row in a unisex bomber personalized with his first initial.

Jared loves it. Photo: Venturelli/Getty Images

The service will get a dedicated space in Gucci’s Milan flagship. For the men’s jackets, blazers, tuxedos, and coats, customers will be able to pick out their fabrics, buttons, linings, and embellishments; a variety of patches in the shape of bees, kingsnakes, and flowers will be available for the bombers and denim jackets. Over in shoe land, Gucci’s Ace trainer, dressy mules, and men’s Signorina style can handle monogramming and, in some cases, patches.

A look from Gucci’s spring 2017 men’s show. Photo: Pietro D’Aprano/Getty Images

While this expansion of Gucci’s personalization options certainly encourages fans to feel a greater sense of ownership over the brand — and fits right into the trend toward customization happening in the wider fashion world — it’s all about Michele’s vision at the end of the day. Enthusiastic embroidery and embellishments have been part of his aesthetic since he landed at the brand early last year.

As Gucci said in its statement: “Although the aim of the DIY service is to encourage customers to interpret the Gucci aesthetic in a highly idiosyncratic way, the combination of materials, detailing and decoration on offer ensures that the end result will always evoke the spirit of Alessandro Michele’s vision.”