Will the new House of Gucci film boost the brand's fashion sales?

As House of Gucci premieres in theatres around the globe, the film has brought a renewed interest and halo effect onto the Italian luxury house, especially to the fashion of its halcyon days.

After endless promotion, interviews and media reports, the film’s stars - Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiana who infamously had her husband murdered, and Adam Driver as the maestro Maurizio Gucci - have stirred excitement, despite the House not having officially endorsed the film.

Last week Lovethesales.com, an e-commerce aggregator, reported a 257 percent jump in searches for Gucci bags compared to the prior week, while searches for Gucci clothes rose 73 percent. Interest in Gucci slides, meanwhile, was up 75 percent week-on-week, it said.

Officially, unofficially involved

The Kering-owned house has been unofficially involved in the film in a myriad of ways, including in costume production, providing shoot locations and endorsing actors closely associated with the fashion house, such as Salma Hayek, partner of Kering chairman and chief executive officer François-Henri Pinault.

Gucci itself posted film stills of Gaga wearing archive pieces on its social media channels, as well as a photograph of brand ambassador Jared Leto dressed in a pink satin three-piece suit from Gucci, during the Los Angeles premiere.

Pre-owned luxury sites like the RealReal have ramped up their Gucci marketing too, with social media posts highlighting shoppable vintage Gucci bags and accessories.

Kering’s last earnings report show Gucci sales grew by just 3.8 percent during Q3, missing analyst expectations. The company said it was a ‘transition quarter’ with high hopes of increased sales for its new Aria collection, the Hacker tie-up with Balenciaga, and of course the release of the film in the last quarter.

Whether or not sales will be boosted remains to be seen

With Gucci’s carry-over lines of its leather goods and accessories accounting for over 70 percent of its overall sales, the house’s archive and iconic accessories may just get the uplift Kering is hoping for.