Alessandro Michele has long noticed a similarity between Gucci’s and adidas’ stripes, but whenever he tried to experiment, alarm bells went off.

So he made it official, according to The Associated Press, with an actual collaboration between Gucci and adidas that took centre stage during the preview show for next fall and winter.

According to Michele, the collaboration was “his long-hidden desire.”

“Stripes and lines are incredible symbols,” Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele said backstage at the brand’s Milan headquarters, where the luxury label debuted for the first time since the pandemic.

Men’s suits in track-worthy royal blue and purple with adidas stripes down the sleeves and trousers and Gucci written under the sports brand’s trefoil were part of the collaboration.

There were numerous options for her, including a dual-brand corset over an athletic-style dress, jogging suits made of pretty patterned knitwear and paired with heels rather than sneakers, and a stunning Victorian-inspired white dress with a full skirt and fully ruffled.

Swimming caps with the adidas logo and double-billed baseball caps allow each brand to share prime real estate on headgear. The trefoil was also seen on large travel bags and as a print on trousers.

“It may appear to some to be a simple experiment, but it was extremely powerful,” Michele explains.

The showroom was decked out with mirrors, which the creative director explained were meant to reflect the multiplicity of fashion, how a single garment can be many things depending on how it is worn, and even changing as it ages and becomes more lived in.

Suits were the focal point of the larger collection, which he used to emphasise the interplay of genders, beginning the show with a woman dressed in an oversized double-breasted pantsuit.

Suits were the focal point of the larger collection, which he used to emphasise the interplay of genders, beginning the show with a woman dressed in an oversized double-breasted pantsuit.

Michele stated that his sense of gender fluidity, which caused a stir when he took over as creative director of Gucci seven years ago, came naturally to him. “I’m always walking between genders,” he explained.

VIP guests included Rihanna, her boyfriend A$AP Rocky, and Stan Smith, the man behind the adidas tennis shoe of the same name.