Gucci faced public criticism after releasing AI-generated images to promote its runway show, called Primavera, ahead of Milan Fashion Week on Feb. 27, 2026. The images, posted across Gucci's social media accounts, were labeled "created with AI" and included scenes such as an older Italian woman in a vintage Gucci outfit and other stylized lifestyle imagery.
Social media users questioned how relying on AI instead of human models and photographers squared with Gucci's positioning around "creativity and Italian craftsmanship." One widely shared comment on X read, "Bleak days when Gucci can't find a real human Milanese grandmother to wear an outfit from 1976." Critics on multiple platforms labeled the images "AI slop," a term commonly used for low-quality, mass-produced AI content, and some questioned why a luxury brand would use cost-cutting technology in its marketing.
BBC News, which contacted Gucci and its parent company Kering for comment, reported that not all reaction was negative, with some users saying the campaign still captured a distinct "Milano glam" look. Dr. Priscilla Chan, a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University's Fashion Institute, told the BBC that AI-driven marketing carries reputational risk for luxury brands, noting it could generate "a lot of negative publicity" rather than the free positive publicity earlier tech shifts delivered. TikTok photographer Tati Bruening, who has 2.4 million followers, said she was "generally not a fan" of fashion houses using AI for image generation, though she allowed for limited uses such as retouching.
The campaign arrived as Gucci creative director Demna Gvasalia prepared to present his first collection for the house at Milan Fashion Week.
Source: BBC News via AOL - https://www.aol.com/articles/gucci-criticised-ai-slop-images-105545561.html