/Guccis New Collab With Harmony Korine Features a Skateboarding Hot Dog

Guccis New Collab With Harmony Korine Features a Skateboarding Hot Dog

If we’ve learned anything since Alessandro Michele took the logo-print reins at Gucci, it’s that anything is possible. We’ve seen Mickey Mouse lunch pails, giant painted murals of Harry Styles, Lana del Rey in a laundromat, and heads—like, nightmare-quality model nogginscarried indifferently down the catwalk. (The baby dragons were cool, too.)

Now Gucci’s enlisted their frequent collaborator Harmony Korine on a short film for Snapchat, and guess what? It stars a skateboarding hot dog. Shot entirely on Snapchat Spectacles (which are “smartglasses” that directly record whatever they’re seeing), the mini-movie is a dream within a fever dream, blending Korine’s penchant for Lisa Frank rainbow parties (last seen in Spring Breakers) with fuzzy bears, vintage luggage, and Miami Beach lifeguards. It is called Duck Duck and there are no ducks… though Bergdorf Goodman does have a Gucci mallard print blouse available now.

For those equally interested in fashion and film theory, good news: Mr. Korine called us to discuss the Spectacles x Gucci project, which naturally has a social media componentthere’s a Snapchat filter where you can “try on” the glasses yourself.

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Gucci

You’re a Gen X icon, but are you on Snapchat?

I don’t think anyone’s following me; I just mess around. I’m personally more interested in what [Snapchat] is doing with technology and their glasses, and how they’re filming things in a totally new way. They came to me about six months ago. They showed me the Spectacle glasses and talked about what they could do, their capabilities, and I took them home and messed with them for a couple of weeks before getting back to them about possibilities.

Your most recent feature was a movie with Matthew McConaughey and Snoop Dogg. You could do anything, project-wise. Why this?

Because it’s its own kind of film form, really! With the circular ratio of the images, it’s really trippy because it almost mimics your eye. And because they shoot wirelessly, you’re not carrying equipment around and you’re not shooting with your hands. Everything’s free, which means as the director, you have a lot more mobility, and a lot of freedom to do really unique shots. Afterwards, you add these effects that are like half animation, part augmented reality, and then whatever amount of actual reality you want to see in your piece. It’s wild.

So Snapchat is changing film?

It’s not just changing film, it’s changing everything. It changes the way people watch and how they entertain themselves. I mean, what is narrative anymore? What’s a feature film, and why shouldn’t it be 10 seconds instead of two hours?… It’s fun, because it’s such a new [technology] that I don’t have to follow any rules. Not like I would anyway, necessarily, but it’s cool to just try everything.

Gucci said, “Let’s pair up on a film.” You said, “Cool, here’s a skating hot dog…?”

I have a great relationship with Gucci and Alessandro; I’ve worked with them before and I really love them. For this project, their contribution was the design of the glasses. Alessandro did a limited-edition design and hand-painted them, so from a design aspect, Gucci was intrigued. But they’re also genuinely curious about these new forms of film, just like I am. It’s all moving so fast. What’s out there already? What has value? How does Gucci find what’s beautiful in all that? How does anyone?

Your behind-the-scenes footage is hysterical. But overall, was making this movie easier or harder because of the Spectacles?

It was actually pretty good! It’s interesting you ask, because in this kind of setup, there’s no camera. There’s no sound guy. Most people who passed us on the street didn’t even know what was going on, they just thought it was some kids in weird costumes.

What’s the worst advice someone’s ever given you, creatively?

I had a guidance counselor who told me I should be a bricklayer. I took this 3 hour test where they ask you all these supposedly psychological questions. That’s what came out of it. The problem is, I didn’t even know anything about bricks! So that was out, you know?

It’s almost Hanukkah! What’s the worst present you ever got?

I got a book of really cheesy poetry once. My uncle also gave me some moth balls in a sock, but he was in a mental institution, so it was more like a work of art coming from him.

I want my Hanukkah present to be a Spring Breakers sequel. Possible?

Eh, probably not. I mean, can there even be a sequel? I feel like [all the characters] are dead! Sorry!