Gucci’s Immersive London Exhibit Marries Fashion and Technology

• Gucci brought its “Cosmos” exhibition to London, combining traditional fashion retrospectives with modern technology.
• The exhibition is conceived by British designer Es Devlin and curated by fashion historian Maria Luisa Frisa.
• Visitors experience various immersive tech innovations, such as a replica of the Savoy Hotel’s early electric elevator.

Luxury fashion house Gucci brought its traveling “Cosmos” exhibition to London last week, blurring the lines between traditional fashion retrospectives and futuristic technological experiences.

Conceived by British designer Es Devlin and curated by fashion historian Maria Luisa Frisa, the show aims to generate emotion by recontextualizing Gucci’s iconic designs through modern tech innovations.

Upon entering, visitors ride a replica of the Savoy Hotel’s earliest electric elevator, where founder Guccio Gucci once worked. Video screens behind two-way mirrors mimic moving floors, transporting people back in time.

In another section, 33-foot statue projections display historic Gucci suits on a loop, created via 3D scanning and mapping. Elsewhere, a zoetrope animation brings the brand’s equestrian influences to life.

Gucci shows how art and fashion can go hand in hand

Devlin said she wanted to “go from the gut” and make visitors “feel how the 18-year-old Gucci had felt” when conceiving the company. The mix of tech illusions and physical recreations provides an immersive fashion experience beyond static displays.

Frisa called the exhibition a “dialogue between heritage and innovation.” For a heritage brand like Gucci, marrying history with cutting-edge technology allows for engaging new interpretations.

The show highlights how fashion and art increasingly embrace interactive formats and virtual elements. For digital-native audiences, blending physical and virtual may best capture the emotive power of clothing.

Gucci Cosmos continues to tour globally, following runs in Tokyo, Seoul, and other cities. The novel format illustrates how even century-old brands can feel fresh by blending tradition with digital.