Low lights, plush seating and the quiet hum of anticipation set the mood inside Soho House Mumbai’s theatre room on February 5. Gucci-monogrammed popcorn boxes and chocolates waited at every seat as guests gathered for a private screening of The Tiger, a 20-minute short film that extends Demna’s first collection for the house into cinema.
Instead of debuting with a runway show, Demna first introduced his collection through a lookbook called La Famiglia, which comprises 37 portraits shot by Los Angeles–based fine-art photographer Catherine Opie. The series opened with L’Archetipo, a newly constructed Gucci trunk—a nod to the house’s origins in luxury luggage—before unfolding the collection, which pulls extensively from the Gucci archives rather than focusing on a single era. Signature elements such as Bamboo bags, horsebit details, Flora prints and tailored silhouettes appear alongside oversized leather pieces, logo knits and statement sunglasses. Demna also references key creative chapters at the house, blending the sensuality of the Tom Ford years with the romantic eccentricity associated with Alessandro Michele, reinterpreted through a sharper, character-driven lens.
The Tiger builds on this foundation through narrative. Directed by Oscar-winning director Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, the film stars Demi Moore, Edward Norton, Keke Palmer, Kendall Jenner and Elliot Page, with the collection worn naturally by the characters rather than staged as fashion moments. The shift from still imagery to moving image feels intentional, reinforcing Demna’s preference for storytelling over spectacle.
At the centre of the story is Barbara Gucci, played by Demi Moore, a second-generation heir navigating a single day that slowly unravels. What begins as a carefully controlled birthday dinner—with a respected Vanity Fair writer (Edward Norton) in attendance to review her collection—descends into emotional and psychological chaos. On the surface, Barbara appears to have everything in order: the brand, the guests, the role of perfect hostess and an impeccably styled, Demna-era Gucci wardrobe. Beneath it, the pressure of legacy, appearances and expectation begins to fracture. Watch the full film here.
As the film grows increasingly surreal, it resists the tropes of a traditional brand production. The tension, humour and moments of vulnerability allow the story to breathe, culminating in an unexpected emotional clarity that lingers long after the credits roll. Despite its opulence, The Tiger never feels like advertising—a rarity for a luxury house production.
First unveiled in September last year, The Tiger has been quietly building anticipation for Demna’s next move at Gucci. The Mumbai screening offered a considered preview of what’s to come: a slower, more narrative-driven approach that privileges storytelling over immediacy. As the fashion world awaits his runway debut in Milan (March 2026), the film positions Demna’s tenure as one that may reshape not just how Gucci looks, but how it chooses to speak.
