Gucci releases a beauty of a pre-Fall 2020 campaign, — ‘So Deer to Me’ — grounded in the “retrieved innocence” of nature. Photographer Alasdair McLellan shoots a series of “fairytale animals” including deer and fawns, rabbits, owls, skunks, squirrels, frogs, hedgehogs and ducks that create an imagined escape from today’s COVID-19 world. Art director Christopher Simmonds and Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele create a much-needed respite from reality and the deeply-seeded fears of young people, who struggle to be optimistic about their own futures.

According to Gucci, McLellan’s images form “a call for a real engagement with nature and, with that, with life”. Models channeling this experience include Akito Mizutani, Azu Nwogu, Gret Mateides, Katie Johnson, Nastya Kharina, and Xie Chaoyu, styled by Jonathan Kaye./ Hair by Paul Hanlon; makeup b Thomas De Kluyver

To further that experience, Gucci announced a collab with The Lion’s Share Fund, an initiative that enables businesses to raise funds for wildlife and habitat conservation, endangered species and animal welfare.. In its press release, Gucci explained: “By donating 0.5 per cent of its media spend every time an animal is featured in advertisements, as all the partners involved in The Lion’s Share Fund do, Gucci can give ongoing contributions to drive tangible on the ground results for this urgent cause.”

In support of the significant initiative, Gucci has posted a series of clips from 2017 documentary Richmond Park: National Nature Reserve, presented by David Attenborough and directed by George Chan, on Instagram.