History
In 1921, Guccio Gucci opened a leather goods company and small luggage store in his native Florence. Though his vision for the brand was inspired by London, and the refined aesthetic of English nobility he had witnessed while working in the Savoy Hotel, his goal on returning to Italy was to ally this classy sensibility with the unique skills of his native Italy. Specifically, with the master craftsmanship of local Tuscan artisans.Faced with a shortage of foreign supplies during the difficult years of Fascist dictatorship in Italy , Gucci began experimenting with atypical luxury materials, like hemp, linen and jute. One of its artisans’ most subtle innovations was burnishing cane to create the handle of the new Bamboo Bag, whose curvy side was inspired by a saddle’s shape. An ingenious example of “necessity as the mother of invention”, the bamboo became the first of Gucci's many iconic products. A favorite of royalty and celebrities alike, the bag with burnished handle remains a huge favorite today.During the Fifties, Gucci again found equestrian inspiration with its trademark green-red-green web stripe, derived from a traditional saddle girth. It became an instant success and an instantly recognizable hallmark of the brand. Opening stores in Milan and New York , Gucci started to build its global presence as a symbol of modern luxury.With the passing of Guccio Gucci in 1953, his sons Aldo, Vasco, Ugo and Rodolfo took over the business.In 1981 Gucci staged its first ever runway show inFlorence .
In 1982, Gucci became a public limited company, and leadership passed to Rodolfo's son, Maurizio Gucci, who held 50 percent of the company’s shares. In 1987, Investcorp, a Bahrain-based investment company, began buying into Gucci, eventually completing the purchase of all the company’s shares in the early Nineties.Gucci continues to focus on strengthening the values upon which its enviable reputation has been founded for its almost 90-year history: exclusivity, quality, made in Italy, Italian craftsmanship, and fashion authority. Setting it apart from its competitors, Gucci is able to claim a unique duality in its brand positioning pairing modernity and heritage, innovation and craftsmanship, trendsetting and sophistication.At the beginning of the new decade, the Florentine House launched two relevant projects which are united by a common philosophy of respect and care towards others, values that have been part of Gucci’s DNA and that of its employees since the company was founded: a worldwide eco-friendly program to reduce its impact on the environment, and the launch of Gucci’s first children's collection, which further highlights the brand’s reputation for quality and relevance by being exclusively made in Italy.
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Gucci is world-renowned for its impeccable Italian craftsmanship and its unique blend of luxury heritage and fashion authority. Established in Florence in 1921, its iconic Made In Italy style has become synonymous with elegance, sophistication and desirability.Made in Italy is an integral part of the essence of Gucci and goes beyond being a mere slogan. It is a cultural approach, a know-how that took generations to build, and a genuine mission that has allowed Gucci to become one of the world’s most desirable luxury fashion brands.Even today Gucci remains very much linked to Italy’s Tuscan region as it did ninety years ago when Guccio Gucci first created his first leather bag. Since the opening of its original workshop in Florence on Via delle Caldaie, and throughout its expansion in the Seventies and Eighties into new headquarters at Casellina, outside of Florence, the House continues to grow its strong relationship with its home territory.Today, Gucci’s Made In Italy production coupled with a strong social responsibility towards its employees ensures that 100% of its leather goods, shoes and ready to wear are still produced in its Florence workshops, employing over 45,000 people in Italy alone, in addition to Gucci’s own employees. This handcrafted legacy passed down through generations of artisan families, continues to be an immense source of pride for Gucci and has made a huge contribution to its position as a worldwide leader in the luxury business.
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