Gucci is dialing up handbag desire with a new Beauty and the Bag campaign that casts Kate Moss with the Borsetto and Emily Ratajkowski with the Giglio, to explore how a bag can completely occupy the mind. The imagery and film, released under Creative Director Demna, center on the instinctive, almost obsessive connection between women and the bags they carry, positioning the two silhouettes as modern Gucci icons.
Beauty and the Bag: the Concept
On Gucci’s official campaign page, Beauty and the Bag is described as a study of the endless appeal of the handbags and the instinctive connection that forms between object and desire, suggesting that once a bag becomes part of someone’s world, it occupies the mind completely. The portraits focus tightly on each woman and her bag, with styling, backdrop and body language all designed to dramatize that bond rather than distract from it.
The photographs by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott are intimate and sultry, echoing the glamorous, high impact handbag campaigns that defined Gucci in earlier eras while feeling firmly of the present. A companion film directed by Bardia Zeinali extends the narrative into motion, following Moss and Ratajkowski in vignettes where the Borsetto and Giglio act as visual anchors for their looks and movements.
Kate Moss and the Borsetto
For the campaign, Kate Moss fronts the Borsetto, a rectangular shoulder bag shown in GG Canvas, rich brown suede and smooth black leather. In one image, Moss wears the monogrammed Borsetto against a trench and backdrop that echo the GG pattern, visually blurring the boundary between bag, body, and environment. In another, she pairs a suede version with minimal brown lingerie, stripping styling back so the texture of the bag and the model’s gaze carry the frame.
Commentary from fashion press notes how the campaign taps into Moss’s long history with Gucci, recalling the brand’s more overtly glamorous 1990s and 2000s handbag imagery. On forums, early reactions have praised her presence, with others describing the visuals as a return to glamorous and sultry Gucci.
Emily Ratajkowski and the Giglio
Alongside Moss, Emily Ratajkowski embodies the new Giglio tote, a large shopper style bag designed to keep up with a life lived on the move. She carries the Giglio in dark brown, black and GG Canvas, often styled with coordinated monogram underwear or ready to wear to extend the logo motif across her entire look.
Ratajkowski said, “I actually really love it. I am of an age where I love to carry a big bag—and I just think Gucci’ version is timeless and cool. It makes so much sense to me how Demna is approaching these styles. I was on Canal Street last week and you see all the Gucci knockoffs. It is this amazing brand that transcends both street and extremely elite environments. I love that he integrates them. I feel like the bag embodies all of that in one item.”
Demna’s Gucci and the central role of bags
Demna continues to put his stamp on Gucci following his appointment as creative director in March 2025 and his Spring 2026 runway debut. Media outlets point out that handbags have always been central to the house’s identity, and Beauty and the Bag explicitly recenters them as key objects of both style, and self expression in this new chapter.
By pairing enduring icons like Kate Moss with contemporary multi hyphenates like Emily Ratajkowski, Gucci underscores the cross generational appeal of the Borsetto and Giglio, framing them not as seasonal novelties but as bags designed to become part of a wearer’s daily world.
