‘Willi Smith: Street Couture’ is the first exhibit dedicated to American designer Willi Smith (1948–1987) held at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. The exhibit of more than 200 pieces highlights how the designer and co-founder of iconic brand WilliWear broke down social, cultural, and economic boundaries. In this episode, two of Willi Smith’s friends, Bethann Hardison and Kim Hastreiter join William Ndatira to reflect on Willi Smith’s life, career and spirit. Bethann Hardison, member of the Gucci Global Equity Board and of the Gucci’s Global Corporate Executive Committee, is a model and activist and met Willi Smith when she was just starting out in New York working in the garment business. Journalist, editor and publisher Kim Hastreiter grew up in New Jersey and moved to New York to become an artist. She switched paths to become a journalist and in founded Paper Magazine in 1984, Willi Smith was her downstairs neighbor. Listen as these long-time friends reflect on fond memories of Willi Smith and look back on the fashion scene in New York in the 80s. As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, all Smithsonian museums are temporarily closed. In the meanwhile, you can discover more about Willi Smith on: https://willismitharchive.cargo.site/

Elle Fanning’s short film called ‘Gucci Always Wins’ featuring the Jackie 1961 bag launched as part of the Absolute Beginners series in collaboration with Dazed. #GucciABsoluteBeginners is a series which sees artists do something they have never done before: direct their very first short-film. Listen to this episode to hear Elle Fanning deep-dive into the process and thinking behind her work with her friend and seasoned writer, graphic designer and director Mike Mills, who previously directed Elle Fanning in the 2016 comedy-drama ‘20th Century Women’. Watch 'Gucci Always Wins' by Elle Fanning: on.gucci.com/ElleFanningGucciPodcast Read more about #GucciAbsoluteBeginngers: on.gucci.com/AbsoluteBeginnersGucciPodcast

For Alessandro Michele’s return to Menswear in January of this year with the Fall Winter 2020 collection, hosted at the Palazzo delle Scintille in Milan, punk legend and writer Richard Hell was seated on the front row. Revealed on the runway were a lineup of T-shirts which featured word combinations from Richard Hell's book 'Psychopts,' created in collaboration with his friend and artist Christopher Wool. Original artworks include pairs of words overlapping one another, such as ‘think’ with ‘thank’ and ‘impatient’ with ‘impotent’ which were featured in the Menswear collection as slogan T-shirts. Throughout the years, from his punk band era through to career as a writer, Richard Hell has been collecting these unusual word combinations. In this podcast, Richard is interviewed by William Ndatira, otherwise known as William Cult on Instagram. Their conversation is themed around words and more specifically around Freudian slips. Together they discuss Richard’s word pairings seen in the Gucci Fall Winter 2020 collection, the story behind his book 'Psychopts' as well as his hugely successful and vibrant career. To end the episode and in exploration of Richard’s unlikely word combinations, William asks his friends to share anecdotes of the times when they had unwittingly mixed up words themselves.

Blossoming into life, the new Gucci Bloom campaign is set in a garden of dreams at the revered La Scuarzuola, a mystical landmark found deep in Italy's Umbrian hills near Orvieto in Italy. La Scuarzuola is a surrealist architectural compound built around an old Franciscan convent, designed by architect Tomaso Buzzi in the late 1950s with stairs and bridges that lead no where, this enchanting and mysterious place becomes the set of a campaign for the first time and is transformed to express a dream filled with flowers and plants. To celebrate the new Gucci Bloom visionary campaign, we will hear a story, written and read by Vanessa Grall, writer and founder of the blog Messy Nessy Chic. Vanessa, or “Nessy", has spent the last few years dedicating her blog to discovering the quirks and curiosities of Paris and beyond. Given the curious nature of this magical garden, in this episode she explores in her own words the secrets and story of La Scuarzuola - the magical set of Gucci Bloom's new campaign.

Listen as Mother and daughter duo Tonya and Satchel Lee—director of the new Gucci Changemakers film—reflect on the year so far in an honest and open conversation. They discuss the instability we have lived through this year particularly the impact the Black Lives Matter movement and what actionable change really is. They also touch on how important family is to them, their daily rituals and how they have maintained their creativity during this uncertain time. Since graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts film program in 2017, filmmaker Satchel Lee is creative director of queer fashion and art publication Drøme. Tonya Lewis Lee, Satchel’s mother is a film and television producer, author, entrepreneur and advocate for women and infant health. Watch Satchel Lee's film for Gucci Changemakers on equilibrium.gucci.com/

The new special edition of the CHIME FOR CHANGE Zine amplifies the voices of Black women and girls in gender violence discourses to uplift their stories, advance a gender-inclusive narrative in the movement for Black lives, and demand intersectional justice. Created in collaboration with the African American Policy Forum and guest-edited by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the CHIME Zine is dedicated to the #SayHerName campaign—first launched in December 2014 to bring awareness to the often-invisible names and stories of Black women and girls who have been victimized by police violence. This podcast episode features the stories of three Black women who were victims of police violence. Their stories will be told by family members who carry forth their legacy—mothers and sisters who are also contributors to the Zine. You will hear from Gina Best, the mother of India Kager who was killed by Virginia Beach police in 2015; then Maria Moore, the sister of Kayla Moore who was killed by Berkeley police in 2013; and to conclude, Melania Brown, the sister of Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco, who died in solitary confinement at Rikers Island jail in June 2019. Discover more on: on.gucci.com/ChimeZineSayHerName_

Introducing #GucciOffTheGrid - a campaign based on the idea of taking an extra step outside our confines to live a little bit freer, to express ourselves with respect for the environment, nature and people who share the planet with us. The collection is made from recycled, organic, bio-based and sustainably sourced materials, including ECONYL®, a regenerated nylon as well as headstock from Gucci’s manufacturing processes. Taking an ever collaborative approach, Gucci invited five individuals to help collaborate and star in the Off The Grid campaign. The stars include: actress and climate activist Jane Fonda; Japanese guitarist, actor and activist Miyavi; Rapper singer-songwriter Lil Nas X; Singer and producer King Princess; and finally David de Rothschild, eco-explorer and environmentalist. In this one-of-a-kind episode, we hear from the guests as they send reflections, thoughts, advice, inspirations and motivations from their areas of work, brought together through Gucci’s Off The Grid Campaign to collaborate and work together in fighting the climate crisis. Discover more: www.gucci.equilibrium

In honour of International Beat Plastic Pollution Day, June 7th, renowned environmentalist David de Rothschild connects with disability advocate Sinéad Burke. David, otherwise known as the 'Lost Explorer’ is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the launch of The Plastiki, a 60-foot catamaran he made entirely from 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles which he sailed across the Pacific. He also a face from Gucci’s new Off The Grid Campaign, a collection created using recycled, organic, bio-based and sustainably sourced materials, including ECONYL®. Sinéad is a writer, academic, teacher and disability advocate whose work focuses on inclusivity within fashion and design industries. She campaigns for the inclusion of all, particularly those whose voices struggle to be heard. Recorded remotely from two opposite corners of the globe, listen as they deep dive into the importance of nurturing and cultivating curiosity across all ages, David’s involvement with Gucci Off The Grid Campaign and the benefits of learning as well as unlearning in a world where pushing the boundaries and exploring new ways of thinking must never stop. Learn more about Plastiki: www.theplastiki.com Discover More about Beat Plastic Pollution Day: www.beatplasticpollutionday.org Read More about Sinéad’s advocacy work: https://www.sinead-burke.com/

¿Cuál es tu platillo favorito? Respondiendo a la pregunta favorita de todo mundo para hacerle a un chef, Karime López, la jefa mexicana de cocina de Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura en Florencia platica sobre su amor por los tacos en el principio del episodio grabado en la cocina de su casa en Modena. Tras haber ganado una estrella Michelin el año pasado— la única mujer mexicana en tener una— Karime, refleja en este reconocimiento, el por qué se convirtió en una chef y la inspiración detrás del menú del íntimo restaurante que sienta a 45 comensales. El episodio es también rico en sonidos de cocina ASMR (Respuesta Sensorial Meridiana Autónoma): el freír de las tostadas, el hervir del agua de los tortellini y los cuchillos metódicamente cortando zanahorias. Descubre más en la cuenta de Instragram de Gucci Osteria: on.gucci.com/GucciOsteria_

What’s your favorite dish? Answering everyone’s favorite question to ask a chef, Karime López, the Mexican-born Chef de Cuisine at Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Florence talks about her love for tacos in the opening of an episode recorded in the kitchen of the restaurant. After winning a Michelin star last year—the only Mexican female chef to do so—Karime reflects on this award, why she became a chef, and the inspiration behind the menu for the intimate 45-seat restaurant. The episode is also rich with ASMR sounds from the kitchen: tostadas frying, tortellini boiling in pasta and knives methodically chopping carrots. Discover more on the Gucci Osteria Instagram Account: on.gucci.com/GucciOsteria_