Gucci Celebrates 60 Years in Japan with Bamboo 1947 Bag Exhibition in Tokyo
Gucci has recently shared the exciting news that ‘Bamboo 1947: Then and Now. Celebrating 60 Years of Gucci in Japan’, is on display at the Gucci Ginza Gallery in Tokyo until Monday, September 23rd. The landmark exhibition honors Gucci’s 60 years in Japan with a blend of historical and contemporary perspectives on the iconic Bamboo 1947 bag. Created by house founder Guccio Gucci and his Florentine artisans, the bag’s staple bamboo handles were a revolutionary design choice that set it apart.
The Bamboo 1947 bag is certainly a fan favorite, with many celebrities spotted sporting the fashionable accessory for major events and daily life alike. Notables include Miley Cyrus, who paired the Bamboo 1947 bag with a brown sequin Gucci dress for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards earlier this year, at which she celebrated her first Grammy win. Also spotted with the bag: Daisy Edgar Jones, star of the 2024 film Twisters, Julia Garner, Cleo Wade, and more.
The new exhibition spans the entire 6th and 7th floors of the Gucci Ginza Gallery, featuring a variety of archival and uniquely reworked pieces. The 6th floor showcases approximately 400 Bamboo 1947 bags, including archival pieces dating back to 1959 as well as the latest designs by Creative Director Sabato De Sarno. The display also highlights special pieces from collaborative projects with Japanese traditional crafts.
The gallery’s 7th floor is dedicated to a unique collection of 60 vintage Bamboo 1947 bags from the 1980s and 1990s, which have been reimagined by a distinguished group of Japanese traditional artisans and contemporary artists: Morihito Katsura and his apprentice Naoko Ai, Ai Tokeshi, Hirotsune Nakazato, Daido Moriyama, Yui Yaegashi, and Nami Yokoyama.
The legendary artists have each added their unique flourishes to the vintage Bamboo 1947 bags, incorporating elements such as recreations of bamboo handles and closures in precious metals or ceramics, gold leafing, high contrast photography printed directly onto the bags surfaces, and painting in both abstract and photorealistic styles.
