Written by Kathryn Andes
Gucci was founded in 1921 in Florence, Italy where Guccio Gucci started the brand as a luggage manufacturer, producing luxury travel goods for Italy’s elite and wealthy. In the past year Gucci has become one of the highest rated and most popular luxury brands.
While the iconic brand first started its journey in Florence, they then expanded throughout the country, opening stores in Rome and Milan. During WWll Gucci experimented with textiles and materials like bamboo and hemp due to the sanctions on Italy and restrictions on leather. Later, the classic bamboo handle became one of the brand’s biggest trademarks.
The 1950’s and 1960’s were the golden age of Gucci, with celebrities like Jackie Kennedy wearing the iconic Jackie bag, and Grace Kelly wearing the Flora scarf. Fast forward to the 1990’s, after a bankruptcy scare in the 1980’s, Tom Ford saved the brand by introducing sexy, silky slip dresses that were never before seen on the runway. The brand struggled during the early 2000’s, but bounced back with Alessandro Michele as their creative director, where he shaped the idealized brand into the maximalist label it is today. In 2018, the famous Gucci Gardens were created in Florence, Italy under his leadership.
The unforgettable brand created so much buzz over the past few decades between family drama, bankruptcy, and even a murder involving Maurizio Gucci and his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, that the film “House of Gucci” was made based on the scandal. The film dives into the family turmoil and how Patrizia Reggiani received her name “black widow”.
In recent months, Gucci has developed several relationships with artists and brands such as Billie Eilish and North Face. In their collaboration with North Face, they created a perfect windbreaker and mountain jacket duo, as seen below on the “Ocean Eyes’ singer. With casual wear and street wear trending, this brought Gucci to the top of the luxury fashion food chain.
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