New Fiat 500 by Gucci: Two of Italy's Best Combine in a New Logomobile - VIDEO ENHANCED
 Gucci's Creative Director Frida Giannini with the Fiat Gucci 500 |
By Marty Bernstein
 Fiat Gucci 500 |
Fashionistas, devotees and logo lovers of style, elegance and panache can now rejoice: the most famous fashion logo in the world, Gucci’s double G is now an official part of Italian automotive heritage, history and haute couture.
Ciao e benvenuto to the 500 by Gucci! Bellisimo.
The international fashion press went ga-ga last week (February 23)
during the Milan Fashion Week when Gucci's Creative Director Frida
Giannini introduced the new car during the packed Gucci fashion show in
Milan.
 Fiat Gucci 500 |
Click PLAY to watch video
In fact the introduction of the 500 by Gucci is more than the usual auto brand and designer licensing deal (remember the Bill Blass Lincoln?) paying a six or seven percent royalty. It is a celebration of Italy's 150th anniversary as a nation and the founding of Gucci 90 years ago. The two, Gucci and Fiat, arguably are the two best known Italian brand names in the world.
Bravo for Gucci's Fashion Show Runway Reveal
The auto industry premieres of new cars are filled with lots of flashing
strobes, ungodly loud music, artificial smoke, huge video screens all
followed by stiff speeches and sheet metal revealed by pulling off a piece
of cloth or the driving on to the stage of the new car. Thousands of
dollars have been expended but usually these are rather staid and
stiff.
 Fiat Gucci 500 |
For reveals of anything with panache, flamboyance, flair and élan one must look to the fashion industry. And nobody does it better than the Italians. How does the world’s best known brand for expensive fashions and accessories introduce a vehicle of modest price? Simply and elegantly. The product, obviously the 500 by Gucci speaks metaphorically for itself, first in a short video followed by the car's appearance on runway. Result? Hurrahs, applause and cheers of the hundreds of jaded fashion journalists from around the world. Here's the video preview they saw before the car:
Click PLAY to watch video
 Fiat Gucci 500 accessories |
Fiat by Gucci: The New Benchmark for Brand Personalization
Gucci’s biggest assets are its interlocking double ‘G’
logo, the red and green colors associated with the brand name and the face
everyone knows anything with their logo on it is going to be unconsciously
expensive. The Fiat 500’s best assets are the defining shape and the
modest price. Combining these two is a B-school case study in an oxymoronic
relationship. But it has been done well, very well indeed. Here are the
Gucci touches to the Fiat:
 Fiat Gucci 500 |
Importantly only two colors are available, white and black with the signature green-red-green Gucci stripe going round the car above the belt line. The double G is in the center of each wheel cover while the B-post uses the Gucci script logo.
The two exterior colors are also used inside the vehicle where other Gucci touches include:
http://www.gucci.com/us/worldofgucci/articles/500byGucci
Double G logos are included on the gear shift and carpet and there are a few special 500 by Gucci accessories for logo lovers:
This week during the Geneva Motor Show Fiat will introduce the 500 by Gucci to the automotive press of the world in a special area of the company's display. Additionally the special 500 will be displayed in Paris, London and Tokyo. StartiApril 1, 2011 thru June 30, 2011 the vehicle can be ordered from www.gucci.com with a list price starting at €17,000 ($23,450 at $1.38 to the Euro).
Fiat's director of public relations in the US, Ariel Gavilán told me in a phone conversation the 500 by Gucci will not be in the US till sometime late this year ... would appear to be gifting time, hmmm. Let me think, Merry Christmas in Italian is Boun Natale.