5 min readIn Emily Ratajkowski’s handbag, you’d expect to find all the necessities: lip gloss, tiny sunglasses, perhaps a prospective script or a new magazine, alongside the functional trifecta of phone, keys, and wallet. But the actress, writer, and supermodel’s carryall works a little harder than that. Ratajkowski likes a giant tote that can keep up with her life, one that serves as a receptacle for makeup, emergency snacks, and mementos that include rocks from her son’s budding collection. And what better to hold it all than a giant Gucci Giglio?
Captured alongside Kate Moss by the photographer duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Ratajkowski is the new face of Gucci’s “Beauty and the Bag” campaign. Throughout the imagery, she carries different renditions of the brand’s Giglio bag, a large shopper style tote, in various shades of the GG-monogram-stamped coated canvas. The bags are portrayed as the ultimate objects of desire: “When a bag becomes part of one’s world, it occupies the mind completely,” reads the press release, a statement many of us, including Ratajkowski, can relate to.
Fresh off the catwalk of Demna’s runway debut for Gucci, Ratajkowski chatted with Bazaar about the new campaign. On a morning where she swapped an early call time for school drop-off, she rummaged through her own handbag to give us all the details.
Everyone I know was talking about the Gucci Show. How was it walking Demna’s first runway?
It was awesome. I think that it’s a weird time for fashion, so it was really cool to be a part of something that was so successfully loud, that hit all the notes of the heritage of the brand, but also had messaging that aligns with Demna’s vision.
The show had such a distinct vibe. How did you get into character to walk?
It was very funny. Right before I walked, they were like, “Walk like you’re in the strip club.” And I was like, “Okay.” There was a lot of very clear direction. It was meant to be about this sexy, party-girl kind of energy. I think it’s so fun to bring characters to the runway. It felt like something of the past that we don’t see that much anymore. And I just think Demna executed it so well.
Gucci Fall 2026
How did it feel to be walking in a very early-2000s bodycon dress?
It was funny. I saw Paris Hilton later and she was like, “You know, that’s my dress.” And I was like, “Totally.” I was definitely, “Okay, we’re doing it.” Obviously, I have somewhat of a sexy persona online and while I do a lot of fashion shows, they tend to be much more toned down. So it was definitely really fun to have a moment where there was an embracing of that in a high fashion context.
What do you think of the new collection? I know you’ve worn Tom Ford for Gucci quite a few times. How do you feel about this new mix?
I’m a huge fan. I have a little bit of an archive going of Tom Ford’s Gucci. I think it’s cool that he’s paying homage to that era of Gucci while really making it his own. And I like the collection. I think it delivers a very clear message, which, again, is very hard to do as a brand.
If you could pick something to own from the show, what would it be?
God, that’s hard. I’m really into the new bags. And honestly, the crazy Gucci heels are amazing.
The messaging around this new campaign paints the bag as your whole world. How big a role does your handbag play in your life?
I actually really love it. I am of an age where I love to carry a big bag—and I just think Gucci’ version is timeless and cool. It makes so much sense to me how Demna is approaching these styles. I was on Canal Street last week and you see all the Gucci knockoffs. It is this amazing brand that transcends both street and extremely elite environments. I love that he integrates them. I feel like the bag embodies all of that in one item.
When you shop, how easily are you swayed by really wanting something? Are you more practical or impulsive?
I’m not impulsive. It’s a running joke that my best friend is so impulsive and she’s like, “I know. I know. I shouldn’t get it. I shouldn’t get it. ” Through her, I have experienced the high you get from it. I’m just not a huge shopper. I buy things, but I like to buy key pieces. I think bags, coats and shoes are always the investment pieces and I wear them to death.
Are you someone whose whole world lies in your handbag?
Yeah. Oh my God. Honestly, I don’t even have a makeup bag. I just keep my makeup in whatever purse I’m using and switch it out. It becomes my makeup bag. In my bag right now, I have my son’s toys, I have snacks, matches. I’m looking at it right now, and it’s a lot of stuff.
Would you build your outfit around a handbag?
Yeah, I do all the time. Especially in New York, it’s been a very cold winter, so you actually need to think about your coat and your bag as the main things. But in general, I feel I do that. And I go through phases with bags. I wear one bag for three months and then I switch to another one and I feel like it kind of dictates how I’m dressing in general.
Is there anything surprising you can’t live without in your handbag?
I wish I had something amazing to say. If I travel for work or something and I grab my bag, I’ll find that my son left a bus or something in there, and I’m like, “Oh yeah, hello.” Or honestly, the funniest thing that’s happened is rocks because he collects rocks and then I’m just like, “Cool, I brought several rocks to Europe with me.”
Coming full circle after being a Gucci fan, what’s it like to work with the brand now?
This has been such an organic, natural development of a relationship. There are a lot of days you think, “Okay, I’m going to be a Gucci girl today,” but this just feels really aligned with who I am and how I dress and what I represent, which is super rare. I was working a little bit with Demna when he was at Balenciaga. And then I was really excited to do the campaign with him this summer, which felt really different for Gucci. And now to walk the show and to do this—it’s an amazing campaign. And it’s obviously an honor to be included with Kate Moss. The word icon gets thrown around a lot, but let’s be real. She’s the one. I’m super happy with the project and I hope to continue to work with them.