MILAN — “I’m a fighter and I have to prove things to myself most of the time in my life, so the outside expectations become like a side effect.”

So said Demna in his first exclusive interview ahead of his debut as artistic director of Gucci . He is fully aware that the stakes are high and that his first designs for the Italian fashion brand will be microscopically scrutinized, but he clearly knows how to cope with the pressure.

Sitting in the luminous office at the brand’s Milan sprawling headquarters, Demna , dressed in black and wearing a gold chain with a Gucci crest, was careful to describe the first looks that go live Monday as “baby steps. I’m not yet defining my Gucci vision, but the platform on which I build that. I want to reset the understanding and perception of wha

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