New Gucci logo kicks off viral Facebook trend in Vietnam

The release of a “new Gucci logo” has sent keyboard warriors into a frenzy in Vietnam – but oddly, apparently not in other Asian markets just yet.

On Friday, the luxury Italian fashion house updated its social-media profiles with an unusual branding, including a new Gucci logo in scrawling handwriting.

A similar font was used in a series of messages suggestive of handwritten signage. The text, “Fall-Winter 2020 Men’s Collection” is an indication for Gucci’s upcoming show at Milan’s Menswear Fashion Week which is happening on January 14. This is the brand’s first return to Menswear Fashion Week after presenting co-ed collections during women’s fashion weeks in the past two years.

The cursive penmanship somehow kicked off a viral trend amongst Vietnam Facebook and Instagram users, with many changing their avatars to their own name handwritten in the same style as the new Gucci logo, replacing their profile pictures, imitating the luxury label. While some mocked the promotion, others praised its innovation.

Unofficial web tutorials on how to recreate the user’s own “Gucci-style” avatar have also been released for netizens to follow.

Among the comments:

• “We are in 2020. Regular methods in everything became boring, especially in advertising,” said one user, writing in English. “Nowadays success is by creating controversy and making the name of the brand … the centre of conclusion. This is not easy, especially now, after all traditional methods have been exhausted. I see they nailed it.”
• “Sometimes, it doesn’t matter if the things you do are right or wrong. Making people argue about things you made, that’s what Gucci really wants to do,” said another.
• More mocking was one who observed: “When your last designer is an Asian and he finally went [to his] home country for Lunar New Year holiday.”
• And the last word: “Looks like the logo was written by a child in calligraphy class.”