Gucci
Italian, founded 1920
Gucci is one of the most widely-known and desirable luxury brands worldwide—a far cry from its beginnings as a modest, family-owned leather goods store. The label was founded in 1920 by Guccio Gucci, a Florence native who as a youth held jobs at luxury hotels in France and England. The sleek bags carried by the wealthy hotel patrons inspired him to return to Florence—a city known for its artisans—and design his own line of understated, beautifully crafted luggage.
Three of Guccio’s sons eventually joined the business, broadened its product line, and opened stores in Rome and abroad. By the 1950s, Gucci’s handbags were as well-known as its luggage. The brand’s unique styles—such as bags with curved bamboo handles, introduced in 1947—were carried by some of the most fashionable women of the day, including Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.
The company expanded into ready-to-wear clothes in 1968, and continued to flourish through the 1970s. The chic design and quality of Gucci products appealed to jet-setters. As model Britt Ekland recalled, “Gucci was expensive without being showy… when you looked inside the bags, all the stitching, the linings, all the parts that did not show were beautifully done. And they last!”
In spite of its history of success, disputes within the Gucci family, as well as overexpansion (resulting in the decline of brand cachet), brought the company to the brink of bankruptcy in the 1980s. Fashion executive Dawn Mello was brought in to revitalize the Gucci image. Mello triumphed, hiring the talented young designer Tom Ford to design a ready-to-wear line in 1990. He was appointed Creative Director in 1994.
Ford had admired Gucci during his childhood in the 1970s. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that his vision for the future of the label involved delving into its past. Vintage styles were infused with modern glamour and potent sex appeal, described by fashion writer Eric Wilson as “louche sensuality.” By the end of the 1990s, Gucci was reincarnated as a premier fashion house. Although Ford left the company in 2004, his successor, Frida Giannini, continued to comb Gucci’s archives for inspiration. Her chic, sought-after creations maintained Gucci’s position at the forefront of contemporary fashion. Alessandro Michele was appointed creative director following Giannini’s departure, and presented his first collection for Gucci in 2015.
Three of Guccio’s sons eventually joined the business, broadened its product line, and opened stores in Rome and abroad. By the 1950s, Gucci’s handbags were as well-known as its luggage. The brand’s unique styles—such as bags with curved bamboo handles, introduced in 1947—were carried by some of the most fashionable women of the day, including Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.
The company expanded into ready-to-wear clothes in 1968, and continued to flourish through the 1970s. The chic design and quality of Gucci products appealed to jet-setters. As model Britt Ekland recalled, “Gucci was expensive without being showy… when you looked inside the bags, all the stitching, the linings, all the parts that did not show were beautifully done. And they last!”
In spite of its history of success, disputes within the Gucci family, as well as overexpansion (resulting in the decline of brand cachet), brought the company to the brink of bankruptcy in the 1980s. Fashion executive Dawn Mello was brought in to revitalize the Gucci image. Mello triumphed, hiring the talented young designer Tom Ford to design a ready-to-wear line in 1990. He was appointed Creative Director in 1994.
Ford had admired Gucci during his childhood in the 1970s. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that his vision for the future of the label involved delving into its past. Vintage styles were infused with modern glamour and potent sex appeal, described by fashion writer Eric Wilson as “louche sensuality.” By the end of the 1990s, Gucci was reincarnated as a premier fashion house. Although Ford left the company in 2004, his successor, Frida Giannini, continued to comb Gucci’s archives for inspiration. Her chic, sought-after creations maintained Gucci’s position at the forefront of contemporary fashion. Alessandro Michele was appointed creative director following Giannini’s departure, and presented his first collection for Gucci in 2015.