With the creation of its proprietary animal-free material, Demetra, and subsequent launch of its first vegan sneakers just over two years ago, it was only a matter of time before Gucci made its foray into vegan handbags. Now, the Italian luxury fashion house has reinvented one of its most iconic styles in animal-free form. The Gucci Horsebit 1955 sees the heritage design reinvented, taking on an asymmetrical silhouette to convey that this is an adaptation of tradition.
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According to Gucci, Demetra is composed of 75% plant-based raw materials, including wheat and/or corn and wood pulp. The result of two years of research, Demetra has been in production in Italy since 2021. Demetra’s use of readily available raw materials and existing tanning processes aids in mitigating the scaling and volume issues often faced by other animal-free material manufacturers.
“This Horsebit 1955 is the first Gucci bag ever to be crafted in Demetra, exemplifying Gucci’s forward-looking approach as the house’s traditional tanning craftsmanship supports a transformation towards a more ethical fashion future,” said the brand of the release.
The new animal-free Gucci Horsebit 1955 is available in mini and small sizes; the first in black Demetra and the latter in GG monogrammed canvas crafted from hemp and recycled nylon with a brown Demetra trim. Both bags feature asymmetrical horsebit hardware made from recycled metal and coated with recycled palladium.
The accompanying campaign stars musician and vocal vegan Billie Eilish, who has been a friend of the brand for several years. Notably, Eilish prompted Oscar de la Renta to stop using fur in its collections, as a condition of wearing the luxury fashion house’s gown to the Met Gala in 2021. In a video campaign set to her song What Was I Made For?, a series of clips paints a picture of Eilish’s life, while the print images see her pose with both bags — clad head-to-toe in Gucci, of course.
The Black Demetra Horsebit 1955 Mini Shoulder bag is priced at $5325AUD while the Brown Demetra/Monogram Canvas iteration is $5000AUD; both are available via the Gucci webstore.
Words by Arabella Johnson
