Music is deeply rooted within Gucci’s heritage, as the Italian brand has counted some of the world’s most distinguished musicians as fans. Grammy Award-winning artists from Elton John and Madonna to Barbra Streisand and Justin Timberlake are admirers. These relationships for years have shaped a natural partnership between Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry and the Recording Academy organizers of the Grammy Awards.
Watch as Michele Sofisti, CEO of Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry talks about the iconic brand and its relationship with the Recording Academy of Los Angeles:
This partnership is in its fourth year, and it features efforts to preserve music and further today’s young talents in music through various channels, including the Grammy Museum, Grammy Cam and of course the well known awards event. To round out the partnership, Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry support extends to the Latin Recording Academy.
This year, to celebrate the 56th Grammy Awards, Gucci introduced the Gucci Grammy Special Edition Interlocking watch designed by Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini with a nod to the gramophone-shaped award statuette. The dial of the watch is made of ‘Grammium,’ a custom alloy used to fabricate the actual award (developed by John Billings, who still handcrafts the awards presented to each winner in the eighty-two different categories.) A portion of the proceeds from the watch will support programs such as the Grammy Museum’s restoration and preservation of milestone musical recordings.
Events
In support of the Grammy Museum, Gucci and the Recording Academy hosted Janelle Monáe, an American R&B and soul musician with six Grammy nominations, for an intimate interview and exclusive musical event at the Museum’s Clive Davis Theatre in Los Angeles. The evening is part of the museum’s flagship program series “An Evening With,” led by the Grammy Museum executive director Bob Santelli. To commemorate the occasion, Janelle Monáe was presented with the new Gucci Grammy interlocking timepiece featuring a special case-back inscription.
This collaboration between fashion and music also helps provide scholarships to young musicians. A select group of musicians from the Music Fund are chosen each year to enter the Grammy Camp, which is a summer music program providing an opportunity to meet with music industry pros and guest artists, write and record new music, visit music sites, and finish with a final concert in a professional venue. To kick off the Grammy Camp program, John Legend earlier this year hosted another “An Evening With” featuring a special unplugged set of songs and an exclusive interview.