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The Gucci Cruise 2020 show was a welcome nod to the pro-choice conversation amid recent abortion ban controversies

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An ornately embroidered silk dress from the Gucci Cruise 2020 collection
An ornately embroidered silk dress from the Gucci Cruise 2020 collection

When Gucci's Alessandro Michele (and his team) aren't being culturally insensitive, they have the impressive ability to offer some of the most historically rich yet futuristic references in their designs, time-travelling between different eras of fashion. 

Gucci's latest collection has elements of antiquity, which could be interpreted as either grandma chic or a visit to your favourite Woodstock thrift store, some Mickey Mouse motifs and looks that exhibit camp with a hint of 1970s sartorial quirks - a decade that has been heralded as a key one for women's liberation.

This colourful 'gender neutral' ode to maximalism show with all those jewels and intricately embellished items took place at Capitoline Museums - the oldest in the world - in Rome, where Alessandro Michele is based.

Alessandro's choice of venue for this show was inspired by his childhood as he said in a statement to British Vogue that he "came to this museum with [his] father because [he] didn’t like football and amusement parks. [Alessandro] was obsessed with archaeology and that hasn’t changed".

READ MORE: A tribute to fashion king Karl Lagerfeld and how his Little Black Dress liberated us 

But aside from the museum, and the Ancient Roman apparel paraded down the runway, this Cruise 2020 collection also observed 22 May 1978 - the date on which abortion became legalised in Italy. Part of Gucci's caption on an Instagram picture of a sweater displaying this date highlights the importance of this date, "established of the Italian statute for the social protection of motherhood and the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, better known as statute 194".

When the Alabama abortion ban was announced earlier this month, a few beauty brands stepped up to donate proceeds from certain product sales to Planned Parenthood and ACLU.

However, with the exception FENTY Maison founder, Rihanna, fashion brands have not yet been vocal about abortion bans in the U.S. - thus making Gucci one of the first to make any form of commentary on the matter. 

READ MORE: A quick look inside the debut collection of Rihanna's new groundbreaking luxury maison 

According to WWD, Alessandro Michele expressed how "women should really be respected and considered as much as men, they should have freedom of choice, even to interrupt a pregnancy, which is the most difficult one."

See three more of our favourite moments from the flashlight-lit Gucci Cruise 2020 runway show: 

ROME, ITALY â?? MAY 28 : A model walks the runway
ROME, ITALY â?? MAY 28 : A model walks the runway
ROME, ITALY â?? MAY 28 : A model walks the runway


Images: Getty

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