GURU ON PANORAMA.CO.UK

When Gianluca Sessarego, sole director of the company that owns and owns the daisy brand and an old acquaintance in the clothing industry, talks about the rebirth of the Genovese-born brand, he does so with an uncommon clarity and determination and a mindset more like a startupper than a longtime businessman.

Panorama met with him to talk about the past and future of Guru, a brand that was a costume phenomenon between the 1990s and 2000s, selling millions of garments especially among younger people, and is now reborn in sweatshirts and T-shirts from the iconic flower in multicolor, between new classics and couture, experimentation and lifestyle.

“We redesigned the entire brand and logo, starting with the daisy, which we stylized in a more modern way,” Sessarego explains, “and worked on a much more tailored and clean black-and-white capsule that would be the starting point for a new phase. In parallel, we moved to relaunch the brand’s international image, scouting and building a brand awareness plan with a more international scope.”

From a Monaco-based company, owned by two legal hubs, one in the Principality and one in Nice, ready to handle licensing in a totally unexpected post-covid retail world landscape with reversed business logics, Italian lifestyle daisy chain has been reborn, thus continuing to rebuild cultural and taste bridges between orientation, the Mediterranean design that has always characterized made in Italy and global lifestyle.

The rebirth of Guru is also a gesture of rebirth of the market itself, in the debate of the e-commerce platform, app and social (among the essential background channels), soul mass market and communication, social has narratives and styles, and Guru wants to present itself as a brand that makes culture and vision, via digital playlists and community.

What certainly helped to push it first in Italy, continues throughout the article, was “the return to pop and the nostalgic push of the latest Fashion Week editions and collections,” which revived vintage references and a new 2000s fashion approach.

Guru basic, visible in mass retail, will not fail to rest on its laurels-and in fact, it is now also working on sartorial collections, couture reinterpretations and capsules with innovative materials.

It is a comeback built around the direction of entrepreneur Gianluca Sessarego, joined in the creative project by stylist and artist Giancarlo Lai, and with a capsule exclusively for Genovese influencer Giada Gianni. On April 19, 2022 in Prato Nevoso Ski, a resort linked to the team, the official relaunch of the brand was presented with a major event dedicated to Italian and international press and opinion leaders.

The new strategy includes targeted actions in key territories for restart and strong work on lifestyle and content communication: from music events to sports, from charity initiatives to collaborations with new ambassadors.

As Sessarego recounts, “We have already started a tour in the most important urban centers in Italy, with targeted stops and musical and cultural partnerships, for example during Le Rosse Music Festival, the opening summer event in the Cuneo area, which featured Bob Sinclar.”

Guru has also returned to the catwalk, with dedicated streetwear and activewear capsules, and has already reactivated its collaboration with GIVOVA dedicated to women’s soccer, where there will be a technical capsule also signed by influencers, designed for next season and flanked by dedicated fashion projects.

“We are working on a new sartorial line,” says Sessarego, “but without moving away from the DNA of the brand. Our focus is to create new visual codes, with a direction that speaks to new generations.”

Currently, the relaunch of Guru has already garnered the attention of many international buyers and distributors, and the brand is ready to expand to key European markets as well, with the goal of exceeding 100,000 units distributed by the end of the year.

Credits: Photos and graphics by GURU – official press release, published on panorama.it on 04/25/2022:. All rights belong to the respective authors.