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Born in 1881, craftsman’s son Guccio Gucci
founded the House of Gucci as a saddlery shop in Florence in 1906.
Guccio's first talent was his craftsmanship in leather goods. He
started out selling leather bags to horsemen in the 1920’s and
progressed to luxury luggage as his clients graduated from equine
transportation to horseless carriages. In 1938 Guccio Gucci opened
their first retail shop on the Via Condotti in Rome.
In 1947
the immediately recognizable Gucci icon, the leather bag with bamboo
handle, is created. During the 1950’s the trademark red striped webbing
is introduced, taken from its original form place on a saddle girth.
This became an emblem much as the leather moccasin with leather bit.
Guccio
Gucci created many of his classics early during the 1950’s; products
such as luggage, ties, shoes, and the famous handbags sporting the
bamboo handle. After his death in 1953, his family was able to take the
enormously successful company to new heights by opening stores in
Paris, Beverly Hills, London, Palm Beach, and Tokyo. The 1960’s brought
increased fame to the Gucci Empire. Such Hollywood stars as Grace
Kelly, Peter Sellers and Audrey Hepburn made the name Gucci synonymous
with “chic”. Jackie Kennedy helped by being photographed with the Gucci
shoulder bag, which subsequently became known as the “Jackie O”. The
company adopts the “GG” logo.
But with the fame and
recognition of the brand name came some turmoil. While Gucci goods were
considered a status symbol of the times, management and inner family
seemed to disagree. Brother Maurizio Gucci took an apparently ailing
business over from his founding brother, who in turn sold it to an Arab
concern in the 80’s.
In the 1990’s, Tom Ford, Gucci’s newest
executive head, has brought Gucci back to the center of chic, and now
commands a varied line of products including leather fashions,
perfumes, colognes, cosmetics, shoes (including the moccasin with the
distinctive Gucci snaffle-bit), the "Flora" foulard created for Grace
Kelly by Rodolfo Gucci, suitcases, watches, jewelry, silk scarves,
sports articles, belt clasps (the one with the Guccio Gucci initials,
was introduced 1964), ties, and eyeglasses. |
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