Guccio Gucci: The Patriarch of the House of Gucci
By: Boyd Davis

Guccio Gucci (1881-1953) was the son of a Florentine craftsman and founded the House of Gucci as a saddlery shop in 1906 in Florence.

For unknown reasons, he moved to Paris and then London where he worked as the Maitre d'Hotel at the Savoy. In 1920, when he was 39 years old, Guccio Gucci moved back to Italy.

With a capital of only 30,000 lira, he opened the first Gucci Shop which would be the beginning of a big business empire.

After WWII, the firm was named Guccio Gucci srl, keeping that name until his death in 1953. In 1982, the firm was renamed Guccio Gucci spA.

Guccio's first success was due to his leather craftmaship. His original clientele consisted during the 1920s were horseback riders whom he sold accessories. As his clientele became more sophisticated, so was his product lines. Later, he would sell luxury luggage which during in its heyday were equivalent to France's Louie Vuitton.

Guccio fathered four sons - Aldo, Ugo, Vasco and Rodolfo. It was them who expanded the firm and opened new shops in Florence, Rome and Milan. It was after World War II when the characteristic double G motif was first introduced. In 1953, Guccio's son Aldo and Rodolfo opened the first overseas Gucci shop in New York, the year that Guccio died.

It was during the 1950s when the Gucci classics were created: the handbag withthe bamboo handle; the mocassin with the distinctive Gucci snaffle-bit; the foulards: the belt clasps; the ties. New shops were opened in London, Palm Beach, Paris, Beverly Hills and Tokyo.

The 1960s proved to be very kind to the House of Gucci, with the Gucci brand considered to be one of the status symbols of the times. But, with the success of their stores came clashes among family members. This was documented in tabloids and newspapers all over the world. By 1989, Maurizio Gucci became President of the Gucci Group.

Bad press and court litigations took its toll on the House of Gucci. By 1993, Maurizio Gucci stepped down and sold his shares to Investcorp, an Arab multinational. Dawn Mello was Design/Creative Director from 1990-1991 and Tom Ford took over her position in 1994. Under the helm of Tom Ford, the House of Gucci became the chicest of chic once again.

Like most companies, its fortunes took a roller coaster ride during the early 2000s. A take over bid by Bernard Arnault of LVMH hit the headlines. In a surprising turn of events, another Frenchman took over the company, Francois Pinault of PPR. As of April 2003, PPR owns over 60% of stocks of Gucci.

In another surprising turn of events, Domenico De Sole and Tom Ford, the defacto poster boys for the label stepped down from their posts last April 30, 2004 after a long negotiation with PPR that fell through.

Alessandra Fachinetti was appointed Creative Director for the women’s line, John Ray for the men’s line, and Alfreda Giannini for the accessories line.

Menswear Spring 2007 (Photo by Giovanni Pucci)

Fall 2007 (Photo by Giovanni Pucci)

See the Gucci by Tom Ford runway shows:

Website: www.gucci.com

Address:
Gucci Group N.V.
Rembrandt Tower
1 Amstelplein,
1096 HA Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 462 1700
Fax: +31 20 465 3569

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