The geekier side of me loves finding out the why of everything in fashion and beauty. Why does a brand do the particular things it does, what are the values underpinning its work, and why is it trying to portray itself the way it is. I won't lie - the cynic in me also finds myself disappointed most of the time that those values or that mission statement that's been touted as all important by the brand's PR department, is often nothing more than pleasant sounding lip service designed to get consumers off its back.

About a week ago, Gucci Equilibrium launched. And although on the surface, it seems like it could be yet another one of these glossy mission statements, (anyone else see the cynic flag waving?), it actually may just be that rarest of rare things, a genuine attempt by a global luxury brand to tackle its mission and impact in a very real and very honest way.

Gucci Equilibrium is "the heart of Gucci's mission to bring positive change in order to secure our collective future." What this means is that Gucci is trying to embody a balance between the items it produces against the ethics that it believes in. "We know that our brand and our people are committed agents of social and environmental change and we take that seriously." 

Crucially however, Equilibrium is about accountability, and this is the most interesting part for me, because lack of accountability after a vision or mission has been communicated by a brand, is possibly the greatest reason why so many brands end up doing themselves a disservice. Either that, or not taking it very seriously at all. Gucci's commitment is to report on its progress about how exactly it is going about achieving its purpose, whilst shifting societal attitudes to embrace sustainability, quality, innovation and long term positive social and environmental impact.

Equilibrium encompasses Environment, People and New Models.

Find out more about Gucci Equilibrium here.