Does the Gucci family protest too much?

When fashion insiders were invited to London’s House of Gucci premier, they were required to sign an embargo preventing them from writing or discussing the film: a fairly standard edict, even if it acquires new meaning now that the film is on general release, and has been panned in some circles. No one has taken issue with the costumes (fabulous), the direction (Ridley Scott being Ridley Scott) or the performance of Lady Gaga (stellar), but many have taken issue with the plot. Not least the Gucci family, who earlier this week released a statement.

And what a statement. It’s too long to quote here, but you can read it in full below – that is, if you haven’t already, for such was its confusing opacity that it promptly went viral. “The Gucci family reserves the right to take any action necessary to protect its name, image, and dignity of themselves and their loved ones,” was one of the more puzzling pronouncements. What did it mean? Were they planning to sue, or weren’t they?

Accustomed to exerting stringent control over their image as they are, fashion houses are rarely happy with any unauthorised books, films or TV shows in their name. In 2018, the Versace family strongly condemned American Crime Story, which dramatized Gianni Versace’s brutal 1997 murder, dismissing it as “a hurtful work of fiction”.

Does the Gucci family protest too much? Would it have been better to maintain a dignified silence? Crisis management is surely the hardest PR job of all, but if you’re going to put out a statement, make it concise and clear, otherwise it amounts to nothing.