Billie Eilish and Gucci have joined forces to launch a new spin on the Horsebit 1955 bag. The singer and climate activist has collaborated with the Italian fashion house on a reinvented iteration of the classic design, which now has an asymmetrical silhouette and is made from the cutting-edge, plant-based material Demetra. With its unique shape and reconsidered materials, here’s everything you need to know about Gucci x Billie Eilish.
She is one of the biggest singer-songwriters on the planet, a seven-time Grammy winner and 19-time nominee. And Billie Eilish has never been afraid to use this considerable platform to speak out about the environmental crisis, whether opening up about her struggle with climate anxiety to ensuring her world tours are eco-friendly. For her latest eco move, the 21-year-old megastar has collaborated with the Italian fashion house on a new iteration of the heritage Gucci Horsebit 1955 bag, made using a cutting-edge vegan alternative to leather.
It’s a genius move from Gucci’s new creative director Sabato De Sarno, whose debut SS24 collection was an ode to the heritage of the house, but with a freshness for the modern day. In this case, the classic rectangular Horsebit bag has been given a contemporary asymmetrical silhouette, and comes in two designs – one in black and another monogrammed.
Both are crafted in Demetra, a next-gen, animal-free material that has been developed in-house at Gucci and taken two years to perfect. 75% plant based, it is composed of materials including bio-based polyurethane, viscose and sustainably sourced wood compounds. The result is a bag that’s as soft and durable as anything made from leather. To add to its planet friendliness, the lining is made of certified cotton and in one iteration, features certified hemp and ECONYL®, a regenerated nylon yarn made entirely from waste products, including the ‘ghost’ nets littering our oceans.
With her dedication to climate activism, it makes perfect sense that Eilish should front the new campaign, which sees a series of videos of the singer woven together as a motion piece that feels like a story of Billie’s life, all set to her 2023 hit song ‘What Was I Made For?’ from the Barbie soundtrack.
Following on from their environmentally-conscious version of the Horsebit 1955 bag, the fashion house plans to expand its use of the alternative, ecological material Demetra across its accessories, a further indication of its commitment to Gucci Equilibrium. Building on the momentum of their 100th anniversary, the fashion brand continues to place priority on embedding circularity in its collections and generating positive change for people and the planet, with an emphasis on minimising its reliance on fossil fuels and replacing it with green energy.
As a sign of its commitments, the house has made a significant donation to Support + Feed, a charity founded by Maggie Baird, the mother of Billie and her brother Finneas. The non-profit organisation is dedicated to creating an equitable plant-based food system, and combating food insecurity and the climate crisis.
