Alessandro Michele has always felt a strong affinity toward Demna Gvasalia’s designs, and so he embarked on a new collection that combines the two house’s aesthetics into one. So as one element within fall’s Gucci Aria collection, Michele extracts elements from Gvasalia’s previous Balenciaga collections, in an expression of reverence and homage.

This practice is one the Gucci creative director calls “hacking,” or extracting elements from various points in time and space and making them for the now. “Far from standing out, Demna Gvasalia’s designs for Balenciaga fit into the Gucci Aria collection like an inevitability,” Michele says. “[They remind] us that there is a live, beating heart at the core of fashion and that it is one and the same for all.” The Gucci Aria Collection celebrates the house’s 100th anniversary with new takes on some of the brand’s most iconic designs, including the 1955 Gucci Horsebit shoulder bag, new editions of classic, covetable loafers and equestrian-inspired boots.