It’s “(sic),” an early track by Slipknot, pulled from the band’s earth-rumbling 1999 debut. And what the hell are America’s nu metal antiheroes doing in a Gucci ad? One word: Demna.
Demna, the flashpoint designer who took over creative duties at the Italian house last year, is no stranger tapping into the world of high-octane music. At Balenciaga, he orchestrated a capsule collection with the Berlin metal outfit Rammstein. Before that, a Vetements hoodie he designed, which was printed with death-metal typography and worn by Kanye West and Rihanna, helped push the devilish visual language into the center of fashion and pop—the same signifiers that eventually made its way to Justin Bieber during his Purpose Tour era. For Demna, these aesthetic choices seem to come from a very personal place. The Georgian designer, 45, has said he began listening to metal as early as age 10, and a 2022 New York Times profile described him as looking “like a headbanger, in torn jeans and ratty band T-shirts.”But how does that sensibility fit into the Gucci-verse?
So far, Demna’s Gucci has been more sex than screaming skulls: on the runway, it’s been plenty of hipbones and sparkling mini dresses for the women, and muscles and tight, low-slung trousers for the men. His affinity for stark gothic palettes and blackletter typography felt more in line with his stint at Balenciaga than with Gucci’s historically ornate language. But Demna has aired out the last fumes of former creative director Alessandro Michele’s maximalist tenure. The men’s ready-to-wear is undoubtedly more pared back and there are already hints of something darker: washed-out graphics on black T-shirts. But those designs skew more towards an aughts-era Affliction tee rather than something as menacing as you’d see at Cradle of Filth’s merch table.
But Demna’s been nodding at newer forms of parents-just-don’t-understand music with his runway casting and choice of VIP guests, too. His Gucci fall 2026 show featured two bratty internet rappers—Fakemink and Nettspend—modeling on the runway, while their contemporary, EsDeeKid, sat in the front row.