Condé Nast partners with Gucci on branded content

Vogue publisher Condé Nast has partnered with Gucci on a branded content programme, in the form of four videos inspired by the Italian luxury brand's AW16 collection and a classic Greek tragic romance.

The video series is the first foray into branded content for both Gucci and Condé Nast; the project was managed by the US-based publisher's native advertising unit 23 Stories.

Directed by American director and screenwriter Gia Coppolla and featuring French model, actress and singer Lou Doillon, styled by acclaimed stylist and costume designer Arianne Phillips, the two-minute videos are a modern interpretation of the classic Greek romance “The Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice”, which have been set in modern-day New York.

In the Greek myth Orpheus, a talented musician, falls for wood nymph Eurydice and the pair are married. However a jealous shepherd Aristaeus is determined to have Eurydice for himself and pursues the couple as they leave their wedding. As they flee Eurydice steps on a nest of vipers and is killed. A distraught Orpheus decides to venture do the underworld to plea for her return and persuades Hades to release her through his beautiful music.

Hades agrees but warns Orpheus not to look back as he leaves the underworld as his wife, who would be following him, would be drawn back in. Believing he and his wife had exited the underworld Orpheus turns to look at her but she had not yet fully exited and he only glimpsed her before she was drawn back in. The tragedy is re-told in four parts in the modern interpretation called, The Wedding, The Bliss, The Descent and The Petition of Hades.

Snake motif at Gucci

The snake, as well as other animals and insects, feature heavily as motifs in creative director Alessandro Michele's AW16 collection for Gucci and the moral of the story, not to look back, could be seen as a metaphor as the new dawn for Gucci under Michele who has transformed its fortunes. He is understood to have had a close hand in the direction of the videos.

Billed as "Produced for Vogue by Gucci", the full series of videos were debuted across Condé Nast properties including Vogue.com, VanityFair.com, GQ.com, NewYorker.com, WMagazine.com, Pitchfork.com and at Gucci.com. Condé Nast told WWD, that the videos would also be marketed across its other digital sites and that the collaboration was a stand-alone project and not part of a larger media buy by Gucci.