Ryan Gosling being announced as the new face of Gucci is the kind of news we all want to read. And as major as it is – it's major – in hindsight, we can't help but think we really should have seen it coming...
This summer Gosling went on a worldwide press tour for the movie The Gray Man. But while promoting the now-released flick, he actually made headlines across the globe (GQ too, naturally) for his big fits, which channelled another project he's been working on. Gosling will portray the famous Mattel Barbie doll alongside Margot Robbie in a film centred around her life in plastic that's set for release in 2023. And, a bleach blonde Gosling, who has taken on the role of Ken, took every opportunity to get into character away from set. “I felt like I was seeing myself. I felt seen,” Gosling has said of playing the role of Barbie’s world-famous boyfriend. “I think a lot of Kens will feel seen when they see this. Gotta do it for the Kens. Nobody plays with the Kens.”
Case in point: he was photographed coming in hot in Barbie pink suits, a pastel teal single-breasted suit jacket, which he paired with a silky, striped shirt, a pair of mint-hued slacks and white loafers, and in one instance a ringleader fit that simple sang “I'm a Barbie boy, in a Barbie world.” However, with each look as popping as the next, there was more to them than simple Ken doll cosplay. All of the massive custom fits were designed by Gucci. Talk about Easter eggs…
Gosling fronts the new Gucci Valigeria campaign, which is centred around its travel gear, and will be seen on billboards popping up across the planet as you read this. Lensed by photographer Glen Luchford, who has shot major campaigns for Calvin Klein, Gosling is seen with different pieces from the brand's “Gucci Savoy” collection. In one image he's pushing a Gucci luggage-stacked bell boy trolley, The Darjeeling Limited-style, sporting a '70s-style, waist-cinched suit, while in another he's seen in a Hawaiian shirt from Gucci's Spring 2022 collection (worn by Macaulay Culkin on the catwalk, and already seen on Gosling on the red carpet) surrounded by GG monogrammed suitcases and carry-on bags (all of which will be available to shop in due course). Elsewhere the Gos can be seen sitting on the back of a Chevy in a striped suit and a retro-infused skinny tie, akin to the sort of thing he wore this summer.
The appointment makes total sense. Gosling has long been the film industry's favourite clothes horse, with a signature style of put-together suits and paired-up pieces that have taken Cannes Film Festival and global premieres alike by storm, while Gucci has a fine knack for tapping the hottest stars in the world before anyone else (Harry Styles, Lana Del Rey et al). Meanwhile Alessandro Michele, the messianic creative director of Gucci, has said “Travel for Gucci was never purely physical. Gucci is the brand that accompanied the artists, writers, actors, and directors of Hollywood on their journeys…" And for him, Gosling fits.
