Gucci Diana Bag Honors Her Memory at Gucci Bamboo House in Kyoto, Japan

Princess Diana in Japan, May 1986

Nearly 100,000 people cheered Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales on the streets of Tokyo, when they arrived for a six-day visit to Japan on May 12, 1986. The headline in the New York Times read: ‘Diana Fever’ Comes to a Quiet Emperor’s Land.

Part of Diana’s duties in Japan included attending a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at Nijo Castle in Kyoto. {collage of images above} where she was gifted a traditional kimono fit for a princess.

Thirty-five years later, Gucci has paid tribute to the Kyoto visit in two ways.

First, in honor of Diana’s 60th birthday, Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele reimagined the royal’s favorite, iconic handbag in a series of bold and bright colors in three different sizes: medium, small and mini. Additionally, the new handbag — called the Gucci Diana — includes removable neon buckled belts on each bag, which serve as a nod to the functional bands that were first released with the original to secure the handles’ shape.

The ‘Diana’ bag, which the Princess made famous in one variation or another running errands around London or arriving for a gym workout — became a must-have bag. Diana LOVED her Gucci handbags with their bamboo handles.

Gucci creative director Alessandro Michel celebrated the Gucci Diana handbag at one of her favorite London institutions — The Savoy Hotel, where Diana was sometimes seen twice in a single day. In a bit of historical nothingness, the luxury brand’s founder worked as a lift boy at The Savoy in his youth.

The Gucci Diana campaign itself was shot by Angelo Pennetta [IG] with a variety of models strolling around London sporting the new bag, most notably leaving The Savoy Hotel

Second, Gucci took the Diana Bags to Kyoto. Thirty-five years later, Gucci’s new Gucci Diana bag traveled to Kyoto in an early August, Olympics concurrent exhibit called ‘Gucci in Kyoto’ project. AOC continues the narrative about the exhibition — which closed today August 15, after the campaign images.

The Gucci Bamboo House, Kyoto, Japan.

Gucci Celebrates its 100th Anniversary in Kyoto

Learning about the special pop-up at Architectural Digest, Gucci renovated a ‘machiya ‘— a Japanese traditional wooden townhouse typically inhabited by merchants and craftsmen—formerly known as the Kawasaki Residence. Though these homes have existed since the Heian period, running 794 to 1185 AD, the Gucci restoration was constructed during the Taishō era of the 1920s (the same period as Gucci’s founding).

According to Japan Property Central, the townhouse, located in central Kyoto, has fashion in its bones: It was originally built for a wealthy cotton merchant, and after selling to the Kawasaki family, it ultimately served as a kimono museum. Despite its current designation as a Cultural Property of Kyoto City, the house risked demolition just two years ago. However, Gucci has since been able to supply additional funding.

Some images of the Gucci Bamboo House in Kyoto from the Gucci Instagram.