Last May, in New York’s SoHo district, the Italian fashion house inaugurated Gucci Wooster, an artistic and cultural gathering space that brings together creativity and innovation, located in a 155-year-old building. An entire block where visitors are offered immersive experiences in an exquisitely pop and psychedelic setting that recreates the atmospheres which pervaded SoHo between the 1970s and 1980s. In this context, the Italian maison, with its creative director Alessandro Michele, created a new project, the Gucci Wooster Bookstore, curated by Dashwood Books.
Re-evoking the charm of New York’s small independent booksellers, the new Gucci bookstore will focus on titles dedicated to avant-garde art and photography. The accurate selection of approximately 2000 titles – with prices ranging from $20 to $1,0000 – is made by Dashwood Books founder David Strettell, who works to give the bookstore a distinctive character. The offer will range from new publications to used and rare books, including many out of print volumes.
On sale, there will also be an eclectic selection of niche magazines that will include fashion and lifestyle magazines, youth culture, art, architecture, furniture, graphics, design, and photography. Furthermore, the shelves will host a range of works by “friends of the house,” including Martin Parr, Petra Collins, and Ryan McGinley. To honor the brand’s Italian roots Strettell chose some titles by great Italian artists like Luigi Ghirri and the filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini as well as books on the Italian Riviera by Claude Nori.
In keeping with the aesthetic of Gucci Wooster, the Bookstore will feature restored antique wooden furniture, including bookcases and a large lectern. The new space will help to promote the Gucci Wooster as a cultural meeting place, hosting the launch of new titles in the presence of their authors, and other cultural events.
Ilona Catani Scarlett