Enveloping the Mileanese courtyard of Chiostri di San Simpliciano, Gucci’s “Memoria” serves as a unique retrospective by Demna, condensing 105 years of house history into a sequential visual statement. Twelve tapestries, suspended across the cloisters, chart Gucci’s full arc from a young Guccio Gucci working the luggage floor at The Savoy in London, to Demna’s own team mid-process in the Florence studio with a gamer chair visible in the corner. The tapestries are the structural core of the show, with each creative director of the maison’s past afforded their own scene rendered in textile: Tom Ford’s MTV Awards silhouette; Alessandro Michele on horseback at the head of his maximalist court; Sabato De Sarno’s tenure saturated in Rosso Ancora. The medium is deliberate as tapestry is a Florentine craft tradition.
Gucci “Memoria” Highlights the Fashion House's History Through Textile
In his first exhibition for the Florentine house, Demna turns 105 years of heritage into a series of 12 tapestries within an ancient monastery
BY TAYLOR STODDARD April 23, 2026
Guests enter the first cloister with a printed QR code redeemable at a custom vending installation dispensing canned beverages from Gucci Giardino—the house’s Florence café—each can assigned to a character from the fictional La Famiglia cast: Fashion Icon, Drama Queen, Super Incazzata, Mega Pesantone. Distribution is randomized for a playful surprise.
In the larger cloister just beyond, a structured garden of seasonal blooms directly references the house’s Flora motif, giving the exhibition a slower, more contemplative moment as guests wander through at their own pace in a retreat away from the city’s bustle.
“Memoria” is open to the public through April 26, daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with registration required and available online. On April 27 and 28, Gucci’s Via Montenapoleone boutique will distribute bouquets cut directly from the Flora installation as a closing gesture.
