Eileen Gu for Brunello Cucinelli
Olympic champion, freestyle skier, and global icon — shot in San Francisco for Italian luxury brand Brunello Cucinelli, a year before she stood atop the world.
Before Eileen Gu was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, before she won two gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and before she became one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet — we shot her in San Francisco for Italian luxury brand Brunello Cucinelli.
It was the summer of 2021. Eileen had just turned 18 and was fresh off a historic debut at the Winter X Games in Aspen, where she became the first rookie to win multiple gold medals — taking home SuperPipe and Slopestyle in a single weekend. The ski world knew her name. The rest of the world was about to.
Brunello Cucinelli — the Italian house known for its quiet luxury and human-centered philosophy — had chosen Eileen as the face of their High Summer Capsule campaign. The fit made sense: both Eileen and the brand carry a certain unhurried confidence. Nothing to prove, everything to give.
We shot across San Francisco, Eileen's hometown. The city, the light, the architecture — it all informed the look and feel of the film. Eileen was relaxed, present, and completely herself on camera. That ease translated into something cinematic.
A year later, at the 2022 Beijing Games, Eileen won gold in Big Air and Halfpipe, and silver in Slopestyle — becoming the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing history. By the time the world caught up to who she was, we had already been there.
The Bureau produced the full film, handling cinematography and creative direction on location across San Francisco.