If there's anything more ridiculous than spending over $3,500 on a handbag, it's spending $3,500 on a handbag for a poodle. But Gucci clearly sees a market, and no doubt it's right. While the new Gucci Pet Collection may reflect everything that's crass and outrageous in modern conspicuous consumption, I have to admit that its photography is as adorable as it is absurd.
The new line for spoilt domestic animals includes pet beds ($7,500 / £5,710), pet feeding bowls ($1,750 / £1,230), feeding bowl travel cases ($2,380 / £1,670) and a range of coats, T-shirts, sweaters, luxury accessories and even a radura print feeding mat and a mohair wool hat that looks like a strawberry. All completely unnecessary? Absolutely, but just look how happy this chihuahua looks with its $410 gold studded collar! And the corgi in its £625 GC coat thinks Christmas has come early (make sure you take a look at our pick of the best animal optical illusions for more animal fun).
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You can tell this pooch feels special(Image credit: Gucci)
Laugh all you like, you're not paying for it(Image credit: Gucci)
Buddy rocks a geometric GC print(Image credit: Gucci)
Actually, a lot of the animals in the campaign look rather non-plussed with their luxury getups (see more below), but then again, there are cats that will look unimpressed with anything. Still, the photography is divine, with Namibian-German artist and regular Gucci collaborator Max Siedentopf capturing each furry model's personality against minimal solid background colours.
The artist wrote of the campaign on Instagram: "Inspired by Gucci’s underlying vision of individuality—even when it comes to the pets among us—each animal’s personality comes to the fore against backgrounds colored in bold hues."
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Oh, it's Gucci? Meh(Image credit: Gucci)
Not one to do things by halves, this dog has a Gucci sofa, travel case, feeding bowl and bowl cover.(Image credit: Gucci)
The silver-toned bowl cover is gloriously opulent, but let me at my food(Image credit: Gucci)
Where's my order from Alain Ducasse?(Image credit: Gucci)
Don't look at me like that; you're wearing a Gucci collar(Image credit: Gucci)
A more sporty look(Image credit: Gucci)
The pared-back setup for the shots creates the opportunity for some admirably adorable details, with a mix of retro colours and some very '80s grooming, highlighted by the occasional use of lighting to create a soft-focus effect on some of the pieces. A lot of the shots look almost effortless, but I imagine this was no easy feat to achieve. Even with the best-trained animals, keeping them in position for long enough for a photo shoot like this is a challenge. If you're tempted to treat your own furry companion, you can see the entire collection at the Gucci website.
I'm sure Gucci's pet collection will sell well. After all, Meta thinks that people will even spend money on virtual designer clothes for 3D avatars. And the move is certainly less bizarre than Gucci's temporary handwritten logo that it adopted for a time two years ago.
Think your own pets can out-model Gucci's? Make sure you have one of the best cameras and see our guide to how to edit photos.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment for creatives, from monitors to accessories and office supplies. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives, where he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and collaterals for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
