Fittingly, the young Chinese actress and singer and the Italian luxury House recently partnered up on the Special Edition Bamboo Collection, proving that the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of its stellar parts.
Ad Campaign
Li Bingbing caught Gucci’s discerning eye, no doubt for her flawless beauty and talent, but also for her global consciousness, which earned her the recognition in 2009 as one of China’s Top Ten Green Advocates. This ultimately led to her role as brand ambassador for the luxury brand, and as such, she takes center stage in a special advertising campaign that launched in April 2012 and a second campaign that launched in February.
Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini conceived the imagery for the ads, which were shot in Los Angeles by fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø. Products featured in the minimalist-style campaign, include the Interlocking timepiece, a Horsebit cocktail ring, leather-accented sunglasses, handbags, and the special edition Bamboo watch and jewelry collection produced with eco-consciousness in mind—but more about that initiative later.
She Wears It Well
In the series of ads, Li Bingbing—dressed in understated black garb—is the perfect complement for the products featured. The stainless steel Interlocking timepiece, for example, forms a mesmerizing triangle of exotic eyes, ruby lips and well-dressed wrist.
A new addition to the Gucci Timepiece range, the Interlocking watch measures in at 37 mm and has the initials of Gucci’s founder, Guccio Gucci, in a design around the bezel. The 18-karat yellow gold Horsebit cocktail ring is the exquisite setting for its dramatic cognac quartz centerpiece, which is held in place with four horsebit-shaped clasps, and sunglasses featuring Guccissima leather-covered temples look stunning on Li Bingbing’s ethereal visage.
Finally, the Jackie, the Soho and the Gucci Nice handbags round out the accessories mix with incomparable style in the delicate hands of Li Bingbing. Incidentally, the Nice handbag, inspired by the laid-back attitude of France’s southern coast, uses both Micro-Guccissima leather as well an eco-conscious textile for the first time.
Special Edition Bamboo
While Bamboo is an iconic mainstay of the Gucci oeuvre, this special edition range offers something more. Created in partnership with the eco-conscious ambassador, the products are crafted from sustainable, renewable resources, such as its namesake bamboo, the tagua nut and vegetable ivory.
The back of the 35 mm quartz watch is engraved with the L.O.V.E. foundation logo, and the accompanying Bamboo one-size-fits-all bracelet features a charm also with special engraving. This edition has already been officially launched in China, where Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry is supporting a local reforestation project. The collection was also on display at this year’s BaselWorld, where Li Bingbing appeared before adoring fans at the newly designed Gucci stand.
“Many people believe that fashion and environmental protection don’t go together,” says Li Bingbing of her association with Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry. “In reality, more and more people in the industry are integrating environmental protection into their designs, with green initiatives growing in importance as themes and elements.”
She continues, “Along with my charitable organization, L.O.V.E, I have partnered with Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry to present this Bamboo collection. It is an immense honor and very exciting for me to be able to share these important values within the fashion industry.”
A press conference was held earlier this year at the Pullman Resort, Lijiang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan province, to detail the initiative, which includes a large-scale replanting plan with the goal of restoring the ecosystem in Ningxia, Northwest China. Here, soil erosion and “desertification” is being caused by increasingly windy weather and deforestation from development. With the heartfelt support of Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry, an area of this region will be replanted with a specially bred, drought-resistant crop called Ash Leaf Clematis.
“The earth’s natural resources are used by us all, and that concerns us all,” Gucci Timepieces & Jewelry CEO, Michele Sofisti said. “As awareness about preserving the environment expands, consumers are demanding products that are created responsibly. We are keen to take a step in this direction with our Bamboo line, and to give back by supporting projects such as the Ningxia reforestation scheme.”
With a plethora of awards under her Gucci belt, including Best Actress at the Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance in “The Knot”, also China’s entry for the Best Foreign Film at the 2008 Academy Awards, Li Bingbing is making tracks and making a difference. But that was not her original intent. It seems fate intervened when she was persuaded by a friend to join the Shanghai Drama Institute in 1993 rather than become a schoolteacher. And the rest is glorious mystery.
Check out iW’s Minute by Minute Exclusive interview with Bingbing: