Gucci is a world-famous fashion house of Italian origin, specializing in the production of premium class shoes, clothes, textiles, cosmetics and accessories. Today, the brand is part of the multinational retailer Kering. It is considered the second largest sales label after LVMH (Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton).
Brand History
The man with whom it all began ...
The Gucci story begins with one person - Guccio Gucci. He was born in Florence (Firenze) in 1881 in a simple family of Italian artisans.
The father of the future fashion designer was engaged in the production and sale of elite ladies' hats, which allowed little Guccio from an early age to join various techniques and technologies of processing materials, to learn the secrets of sewing skills.
When a young man turns 23, he decides to start his own business and thereby free himself from his father’s constant notations and moralizing. So, in 1904, a workshop specializing in the production of horse harness appeared in Florence, it received the name "Gucci House". However, the young and inexperienced Guccio did not succeed in normalizing the business, and soon he had to close the shop due to accumulated debts.
- To a shopaholic tourist note: The Gucci Museum in Florence is located at Piazza della Signoria 10. Official website www.guccimuseo.com
The constant clashes and conflicts with his father do not allow him to return to the family workshop, and after another major quarrel, Gucci Jr. leaves his native Italy and leaves for London.
Cold and prim England meets a curious and temperamental Italian not too welcoming: The only job that Guccio Gucci manages to get is being a porter at the luxury hotel The Savoy. However, despite all its hostility, it was Great Britain that aroused in a man those qualities and inclinations that later helped him create his own fashion house, which conquered not only Italy, but the whole world.
Watching the hotel guests, the future designer observes the various features of rich people, their desires, needs, habits. All this gives rise to the idea of creating his own company in his head, which would produce bags and bags of premium quality.
It is the years of hard and monotonous work of the porter that help Gucci to realize what an important role his person plays in his life. So, according to the traveler’s bag, you can literally determine all its components: starting from a sense of style and ending with belonging to a particular social stratum.
The foremen at the Savoy Hotel for more than ten years, Guccio Gucci could only rise to the position of a waiter in the restaurant of the same hotel. However, even such unpresentable types of work allowed the Italian to accumulate an amount of 30,000 lire, which in his native Florence was considered a real condition. In 1921, having been dismissed from Savoy, Guccio decided to return to Italy with the aim of opening a new company in it.
Return to Italy
The life difficulties and troubles that plagued Guccio Gucci in England, not only did not break him, but, on the contrary, tempered, developing a unique sense of style and grace.
So, in 1922, upon returning to Florence, the Italian opened his second enterprise - a company producing elite goods made of genuine leather.
This time, luck smiles at the entrepreneur, and his work begins to bear first fruits. Initially, products such as suits for jockeys and horse harness, as well as bags, valise bags and suitcases, were presented in the trading shop.
Gucci equestrian equipment made exclusively from natural and high quality materials quickly won the love and recognition of riderschoosing similar outfits for important competitions. Thanks to the production of these products, brand rumors are gradually starting to spread throughout Europe.
Also, in the period from the mid-20s of the last century, the growing sons of Guccio began to join the family business, and the first-born Aldo was particularly interested in the fate of the company. It was them who, in 1933, invented a unique brand logo for the fashion house, which is an interweaving of the letters G and G - the initials of Guccio Gucci.
By 1937, an amateur family shop-workshop was gradually expanding to the scale of a small factory, which made it possible to organize mass production of handbags, reticules and gloves. Gucci is doing so well that in 1938, on one of the most famous and oldest streets of Rome, Via de Condotti, the grand opening of the brand's first brand boutique takes place.
Then, outlets begin to emerge en masse in various cities of Italy, and In 1953, the Gucci official store opens in the USA in New York in the prestigious Fifth Avenue district of Manhattan. Thus, a young Italian company becomes known around the world.
The fate of the brand after the death of its creator
In 1953, the founder of the company Guccio Gucci passed away, and the responsibility for the fate of the brand rests with the shoulders of his eldest sons - Aldo and Rodolfo. According to the will of the father, each of them receives 50% of the company’s shares and the right to sign. Aldo soon decides to move to the United States in order to further expand the family business, while Rodolfo remains at home and continues to control domestic production and sale of goods.
Almost immediately after leaving Italy, in the 1950s, Aldo opens a network of new Gucci stores, distributed in countries such as the USA, France and England. A decade later, thanks to the efforts of the young Italian, brand outlets are beginning to appear in China and Japan.
It was the 50-70s of the last century that were especially significant for the fashion house, since Gucci's stylistic features were laid during this period.
- So, in 1947, a legendary handbag with bamboo handles was created, then the first images of Gucci branded striped braid appear, which are now present in the design of almost all brand-produced models.
- In the 1960s, the first in the company's history full-fledged lines of women's clothing and perfumery were launched, then, at Milan Fashion Week, the public shows off the famous moccasins in which metal elements were first used.
- In 1972, Aldo signs a profitable contract for the company with a major American label American Motors. According to the terms of the agreement, the designers and fashion designers of the brand had to develop unique configurations for the Hornet.
Gucci is gradually turning into a world famous fashion house, whose fans are the main stars and celebrities of that time (Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and many others).
At the end of the 70s of the last century, in 1977, the son of Aldo, Paolo, suddenly appeared at the helm of the company. He becomes vice president of the fashion house, and also takes full responsibility for his division - Gucci Parfums.
Due to the weakened attention of Guccio Gucci's other son, Rodolfo, almost all power is concentrated in the hands of Aldo and his family members, while Rodolfo himself has only a 20% stake.
A crisis
The end of the 1970s is considered the beginning of a protracted crisis for the brand. This is due to a series of strategic and commercial incorrect decisions that were made by the owners of the label of the time - Paolo and Rodolfo. The heated family feuds and conflicts only complicated the situation.
So, in 1979, Paolo and Aldo Gucci in order to support Gucci Parfums launched a new line - Gucci Accessories Collection. The offered goods were notable for their cheapness relative to the rest of the brand's products (shoes, cosmetics, bags, clothes).
Very quickly, accessories from Gucci from a symbol of luxury and grace turn into small cheap trinkets, which are owned by almost every second. “Adhesive Airport Brand” - this is how the once-successful fashion house was characterized by the chief editor of the popular fashion magazine Vanity Fair, Gradon Carter.
Gucci's deplorable position began to improve only in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when young Ford designer Tom Ford came to the company. It is he who marks the era of the revival of the company, creating unique collections that amaze with their simplicity, but at the same time sophistication.
The revival of Gucci
In 2003, the company was miraculously saved from the threat of bankruptcy. The final show of Tom Ford, representing the latest designer collection, developed by him in collaboration with the fashion house, allowed Gucci to return to its former greatness. The presented clothing was distinguished by an unusual simplicity for the label texture, as well as minimalism in detail. Demonstrating the collection, the models were dressed in simple dresses of simple style and silhouette, and more reminded not of fashion industry stars, but of silent movie actresses.
Also, the sensational news about the departure of Tom Ford from the post of creative director of the brand also benefited the company. This statement was made a few days after last week of fashion in Milan, which ensured huge sales for the company.
After Ford left the Gucci Group, the company's board of directors decided to extend the contract with Alessandra Fakkinetti and Frida Giannini, designers who worked under the leadership of the former creative director.
In 2006, Fakkinetti, who at that time was the creative director of the women's line, developed the new Spring-Summer 2006 collection, which featured a rich and vibrant color scheme, unusual and bold prints. This collection was the first after the departure of Ford, which was highly appreciated by both critics and ordinary shoppers, and also received praise from leading fashion magazines.
Gucci today
To date, the latest released collection of the brand is Autumn-Winter 2017. Her presentation took place last week in Milan. The creator of the women's clothing line was the young creative designer Alessandro Michele, who replaced Frida Gianni as director and ideological inspirer.
The clothes of the autumn-winter show are characterized by a riot of paints, flowers and materials. A wide variety of fabrics and textures were used to create the attributes of the wardrobe, great attention was paid to small details: buttons, collars, cufflinks, etc. Texture is a key leitmotif of the collection.
In the presented images it is difficult to trace any one stylistic idea. Models defiled on the catwalk both in light chiffon dresses, made in a romantic style, and in trouser-colored dresses full of rhinestones and sequins, from which a mile and a half glance like "Hollywood" glamor. Almost all the things in the new collection had bright and catchy applications, stripes, brooches or prints made of rhinestones and precious stones. Simple strict suits with elongated jackets of rather cold shades were slightly knocked out of the general mass.
As for shoes, almost all models featured such an interesting detail as natural pearls incorporated into the heel. Traditionally, several new versions of classic loafers and moccasins were demonstrated, the absolute opening of the show was high over the knee high boots with stiletto heels or thick heels.
You can purchase products from Gucci in the Italian fashion capital Milan at 5 Via Montenapoleone.
In Russia, brand brand boutiques are open in the following cities:
- Moscow (5 shops);
- Sochi (1 store);
- Nizhny Novgorod (1 store);
- St. Petersburg (1 store);
- Yekaterinburg (1 store);
- Samara (1 store);
Addresses of boutiques in Moscow:
- GUM Trading House, address: 3, Red Square;
- TC “Barvikha Luxury Village”, address: 114 Rublevo-Uspenskoye Shosse;
- Gucci, address: st. Petrovka, d.16;
- Gucci, address: Kutuzovsky pr., 31;
- TC "TSUM", address: st. Petrovka, d. 2;
Also, You can purchase exclusive brand products in a number of online stores:
- www.be-in.ru;
- www.farfetch.com;
- intermodann.ru;
- aizel.ru;
- www.wildberries.ru.
Interesting Facts
- The famous Hollywood actress, Grace Kelly, was an ardent fan of the legendary Gucci Flora scarf.
- For the first lady of the USA, Jackie Kennedy, Jackie O's handbag was specially created by the designers of the fashion house.
- Currently, the Gucci Group includes a number of world-famous brands, among them: Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Oscar de la Renta, Roger & Gallet, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and others.
- The brand has its headquarters in 4 countries: Italy (Florence), France (Paris), Great Britain (London), and the USA (New York).
- Fashion houses are actively involved in charity work. So, in 2013, a new charity project "Chime for Change" was founded.
