Gucci unveils its latest story to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its bamboo handle bags—an emblem of the House created in 1947 by founder Guccio Gucci and Florentine artisans. Produced in Japan to be released worldwide, film and still feature actress Hikari Mitsushima, dancer and performer Aoi Yamada, and actor Eita Nagayama.
At the core of the narrative is the ancient Japanese story, ‘Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter),’ which is reimagined through a contemporary lens in the six-minute short film entitled ‘Kaguya by Gucci.’ Echoing the Japanese tradition of transforming bamboo into various tools, which dates back to ancient times, the fantastical story of Taketori Monogatari opens with an old bamboo cutter who goes into the bamboo forest and finds a glowing bamboo plant with a small princess sitting inside. Named Kaguya, her beauty continues to attract many suitors, including the Emperor. However, eventually the day comes when she reveals her celestial origins and returns to the Moon, leaving behind a light within the hearts of all the people she came to know. The story written over a thousand years ago is universally loved and has been read generation after generation, resounding with the beauty of Gucci’s bamboo handle bags.
Directed by Makoto Nagahisa, the 2022 version of ‘Kaguya by Gucci’ is staged in Tokyo and set to an original song composed by Keiichiro Shibuya. Dressed in pieces from the Gucci Love Parade collection, the characters come to rediscover true love and self. Hikari Mitsushima plays Princess Kaguya, Aoi Yamada the bamboo cutter, and Eita Nagayama the emperor who falls in love with the princess. Against the lights and bustle of Tokyo, the silence of the bamboo forest, and the glow of the moon, ‘Kaguya by Gucci’ sheds a new light on Gucci’s bamboo top-handle bags while incorporating Alessandro Michele’s eclectic aesthetic into the classical and modern Japanese landscape.
Shop the bamboo handle bags at Gucci, located on the Lower Level near Nordstrom. For more information contact the boutique at 305-521-5050.
