GUCCI 17AW: When Italian Couture Met the Floating World

Gucci’s 2017 Autumn/Winter season stands as one of the most daring moments in modern luxury fashion. Under Alessandro Michele’s imaginative direction, the maison dove into Japan’s historical visual language—merging Milanese craftsmanship with Edo-period woodblock art, intricate embroidery, and the rebellious spirit of vintage sukajan jackets.

Alessandro Michele led Gucci as creative director from 2015 to 2022, and his collections were famous for mixing references from every period and culture into a single, romantic, crowded vision. The souvenir jacket was one of his recurring canvases. In his hands, the embroidered bomber born in postwar Yokosuka became a vehicle for tigers, dragons, snakes, florals and, in the Autumn/Winter 2017 season, scenes adapted from Japanese woodblock prints.

The original sukajan is the subject of several of our essays, beginning with What Is a Sukajan? Seeing it reworked by a Milanese house is a reminder of how far that humble souvenir has travelled.

The Back: A Floating World Stitched in Silk

This rare quilted bomber exemplifies the creative collision between Italian couture and Japanese art. The blush-pink satin body, framed by pale green sleeves, creates a soft canvas for the drama of the back embroidery. Two lovers, rendered in the style of traditional ukiyo-e, are frozen in an intimate embrace—stitched with silk, cotton, glass beads, gold metallic fibers, and hand-shaped padded appliqué.

Above them, the GUCCI logo arcs proudly in a row of pearl cabochons, transforming branding into ornament and turning the jacket into a wearable jewel.

The lovers draw on the conventions of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that depicted the pleasures of Edo city life: actors, courtesans, travellers and lovers. Woodblock artists rendered such scenes with flowing outlines, patterned robes and intertwined figures, and those elements translate naturally into embroidery. Gucci's version keeps the graphic linework and patterned textiles of the prints while adding the shine of beads, metallic fibres and raised appliqué, so the image catches the light as the wearer moves. Our essay on Japonisme traces the long history of European fascination with this imagery.

The Front: Rosettes, Cranes, and Quiet Extravagance

The front of the jacket is equally elaborate. Satin rosettes bloom at the shoulders, while stylized crane motifs emerge from the quilted panels. The piece is unmistakably Michele—romantic, poetic, and maximalist—bridging centuries of East–West cultural history through visual storytelling.

Cranes, tsuru (鶴), are among the most auspicious birds in Japanese art, symbols of longevity and fidelity, and they appear constantly on kimono and in folding-screen painting. Their presence on the front of a Gucci bomber is a deliberate nod to that tradition.

Why Collectors Chase Gucci’s Ukiyo-e Bombers

What makes this jacket extraordinary is not only its beauty but its scarcity. Most of Gucci’s ukiyo-e embroidered bombers were boutique exclusives released in extremely limited quantities for the Japanese and Hong Kong markets. Their production required multiple specialist ateliers and came with high construction costs.

As a result, surviving examples in excellent condition are now prized by collectors, stylists, and fashion investors. They represent a golden era of Alessandro Michele’s Gucci, where streetwear silhouettes were treated with haute couture seriousness.

Gucci's Japanese-inspired outerwear from this era appears in several variations, with different scenes, colourways and constructions. Our collection includes another example, a Gucci 17AW ukiyo-e woodblock design embroidered souvenir jacket, as well as a reversible satin souvenir jacket with oiran, samurai, phoenix and dragon embroidery.

Cultural Artifact, Not Just Outerwear

This bomber is more than clothing—it is a cultural artifact. It fuses Japanese art, Italian luxury, and Michele’s maximalist era into a single piece. Over time, jackets like this are likely to appreciate in both monetary value and cultural significance, serving as emblems of a fashion age defined by unrestrained beauty and narrative-rich design.

Authenticity and Assurance

All items in our store are guaranteed authentic. We are registered members of the AACD (Japan’s anti-counterfeit trade association), and every product we sell is verified by licensed experts. In the rare event that an item is proven inauthentic, we refund the full purchase price and the cost of returning it, as set out in our authenticity guarantee.

Interested in Owning This Piece—or One Like It?

If you’re interested in purchasing this jacket or finding similar luxury branded embroidered garments, we invite you to get in touch. We specialize in curating rare, meaningful, and culturally rich pieces directly from Japan and would be honored to help you find exactly what you're searching for.

Please reach out to us through the “Contact Us” section below.

What to check on a Gucci embroidered bomber

• Labels: the main label, care labels and the inner product label with style and control codes should be present and consistent with the season.
• Embroidery and appliqué: stitching should be dense and even, with beads, pearls and padded elements secure; look for loose threads or missing stones.
• Satin and quilting: check for snags, water marks and colour transfer, especially on pale pinks and greens.
• Hardware: zips and fastenings should be branded and function smoothly.

Caring for an embellished couture jacket

• Professional dry cleaning only, with a cleaner experienced in beaded and embroidered couture.
• Store on a broad, padded hanger in a breathable garment bag, away from light.
• Avoid bags with straps and seatbelts that rub the embroidery.

Glossary

• 浮世絵 (ukiyo-e): Edo-period woodblock prints and paintings of the "floating world".
• スカジャン (sukajan): the embroidered souvenir jacket from Yokosuka.
• 鶴 (tsuru): the crane, a symbol of longevity.
• 17AW: Autumn/Winter 2017, Gucci's seasonal designation.

Questions collectors ask

Who designed Gucci's ukiyo-e bombers?

They were produced under Alessandro Michele, Gucci's creative director from 2015 to 2022, as part of his recurring reinterpretations of the souvenir jacket.

How do I know this jacket is authentic?

Every piece we offer is examined in Japan, photographed in detail including labels, and covered by our authenticity guarantee. You are welcome to ask for further photographs before buying.

Can you find a Gucci ukiyo-e jacket in my size?

Our Hunting Salon™ can search Japan for Gucci embroidered outerwear by season, design and size.

Continue reading

• What Is a Sukajan?
• All about Japonisme.
• Gucci: the collection.
• The Japan Luxury Archive.
• Antique Louis Vuitton Trunks: a collector's guide.
• Why Collect Japanese Porcelain and Ceramics: the great kilns and how to judge them.
• Wabi-Sabi: the art of embracing imperfection.