Harrods has been transformed into a Gucci Garden for the month of August with a store takeover complete with a customization service involving butterflies, snakes, bejeweled buckles, shimmery dresses and colorful fur coats inlaid with flower motifs, many of which are exclusive.
Harrods customers will also be among the first in the U.K. to try Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele’s debut fragrance for women, Gucci Bloom. The fragrance is available exclusively in The Beauty Hall and at specialty retail spaces in-store from July 31 until Aug. 16, when it will roll out nationwide. Bloom is also being sold at Gucci London boutiques and at gucci.com.
The 16 windows facing London’s Brompton Road feature patched and sparkling Gucci bomber jackets, accessories done in exotic skins, and gossamer gowns worn by pink mannequins.
Some of the window’s backdrops have been created with images from the fragrance campaign that features Dakota Johnson, Petra Collins and Hari Nef. Others have green or pink velvet capitone walls, and vintage oriental rugs on the floor.
The ground-floor entrance, the one nearest to South Kensington, has been transformed into a Gucci display with Dionysus bags lining the walls, while the brand’s theme continues into Gucci’s ground-floor space at the store.
There are also DIY services in the store allowing customers to personalize selected products with exotic skins, colored horse bits and decorative patches, including the Harrods-exclusive butterfly motifs in a variety of colors.
The collaboration also extends to a limited-edition Gucci RTW collection designed for Harrods including floral-print kimono tops and trousers, Ace sneakers for men and women with specially designed patches, women’s jewelry, and dresses for girls. A variety of accessories has also been exclusively created for the store, including a version of the Lilith handbag, with patches and mini Dionysus and Sylvie bags in a variety of colors.
Helen David, Harrods chief merchant, has said the collaboration will give customers the opportunity to challenge their personal creativity with the same eclectic spirit that Alessandro Michele has brought to fashion.