The Founding Story of Gucci – Webtekno

Gucci’s transformation over the years, was shaped by the combination of a series of extraordinary events, from the tragic story of a family to becoming the favorite brand of Hollywood stars. Are you ready to discover with us what happened at Gucci’s masquerade ball of luxury?

Behind Gucci’s original and iconic designs, there were secrets, intrigues within the family and a complex family dynamic that developed over time. Gucci’s path full of successhas not only left a mark in the world of luxury clothing, but has also become a family saga.

Gucci’s origins date back to the late 19th century in Italy.

Gucci’s father Guccio Gucci was born in 1881 in the fascinating city of Florence, Italy. His father was a craftsman and milliner, and Guccio followed this craft tradition and was introduced to leatherworking at an early age.

However, due to the family’s economic difficulties, Guccio had to go to London when he was only 16 years old. At the Savoy Hotel bellboy While working as a consultant, he had the chance to examine the clothing styles of wealthy customers.

Some sources say that he worked as an elevator operator at the hotel and Winston Churchill and Marilyn Monroe It is stated that he met famous names such as. With the outbreak of World War I, Guccio returned to his country and started working in Milan for a company called Franzi, which produced luxury leather bags and suitcases.

This experience Guccio’s The knowledge he gained about leather formed the basis of his first steps towards establishing his legendary brand in the future.

Guccio, who improved himself with the experience he gained at Franzi, decided to establish his own brand, Gucci, in Florence in 1921.

GucciIn the early days of , leather bags and suitcases were sold rather than clothing. While it progressed modestly for a while, the brand quickly began to make a name for itself, thanks to the talented craftsmen recruited to the workshop. In 1932, Guccio founded the brand first loafer shoe launched it.

Gucci made a significant impact on the fashion world with the horse, ship and stirrup motifs he implemented in the mid-1930s. Guccio, changing demands of customers He was a visionary who adapted quickly and pioneered continuous innovation. When he observed the transition from horse-drawn carriages to motor vehicles, he focused on selling luxury suitcases and bags.

In 1938, his son At Aldo’s suggestion It added a new chapter to the brand’s growth story by opening another store in Rome.

II. During World War II, the United Nations imposed a trade embargo on Italy after Mussolini joined Nazi Germany.

As a result of this embargo, leather became a scarce resource and it put a lot of pressure on the brand. To cope with this difficult situation Guccio Guccihad to include alternative fabrics such as raffia, wicker, wood, linen and jute in the composition of the products.

Also II. Gucci during World War II He produced boots for the Italian infantry. Continuing leather production after the end of the war was also a priority for Gucci.

At the suggestion of his son Aldo Following the opening of a new store in Rome in 1938 Milan stores were opened in 1951 and New York stores were opened in 1953. However, after Guccio Gucci’s death in 1953, the company; He had to continue under the leadership of his sons Aldo, Vasco and Rodolfo.

Starting in the 1950s, the brand began to become popular among the wealthy and Hollywood stars.

The brand gradually expanded its product range and added luxury accessories such as glasses, watches and jewelry. This increased his success rate. London, Palm Beach, Paris and Monaco It has become a global brand by opening stores around the world such as. Gucci released its first perfume in 1975Apart from clothing, it also opened its first store in the 1970s.

That’s all well and good, but disagreements within the family, especially in 1969 when Aldo’s son Giorgio went on a rampage of his own. Gucci BoutiqueThe establishment of , and Aldo’s attempt to launch the Gucci Plus brand also had a negative impact on the company. In 1982, in order to reduce tension within the family. Gucci group merged and became Guccio Gucci SpA, a publicly traded company.

However, during this period Aldo Gucci’s tax evasion His imprisonment on charges caused the company to experience difficult times.

After gaining control of the company, Maurizio took over management of Gucci by extorting shares from Aldo and his son Paolo.

Why Maurizio Gucci makes these decisions His wife, Patrizia Reggiani, had a great influence. By displaying an ambitious attitude towards the management at Gucci, Patrizia caused great moral damage to the company and the family.

Unfortunately, Maurizio was not successful like his uncle and father. In 1988, Maurizio Gucci controlled almost 50% of Gucci. It sold 47.8% of its shares to a Bahraini company. This company was Investcorp, which has owned Tiffany since 1984.

But from 1991 to 1993, Gucci’s finances were still struggling. Maurizio Gucci has been widely criticized for spending large sums of money on the company’s headquarters in Florence and Milan. Investcorp was acquired from Maurizio Gucci in 1993 Guccio Gucci SpA He ended the family’s influence in the company by purchasing the remaining 50%.

Family problems in the background also added to the spice.

His wife, Patrizia, was directing her husband to rise to the top in Gucci’s management by imposing her own views. However, when his expectations were not met, he succumbed to his anger and He hired a hitman.

Maurizio Gucci in March 1995 He was shot dead in the lobby of Gucci’s Milan office. Aldo and his son Maurizio lost their lives while they were in financial difficulties. Patrizia explained the situation as follows in an interview she gave later:

“There was no hatred. I didn’t hate Maurizio, I never did. The problem was that I was annoyed with him. It was making me angry. Go to the butcher shop and Do you know anyone who would kill people? I was asking.”

Investcorp has brought on Dawn Mello as an “editor” and designer for Gucci. Mello brought Bergdorf’s brightest talents to Gucci, especially by appointing Richard Lambertson, who previously oversaw Bergdorf’s accessories, as the brand’s design director. Mello and Lambertson’s most important decision came in 1990 when a young Texan designer, It came with the hiring of Tom Ford.

Tom Ford has achieved great success by combining men’s and women’s clothing in one collection. tom ford‘s designs doubled Gucci’s revenues, especially between 1995 and 1997.

Domenico De Sole, the legal advisor of the Gucci family and Gucci’s CEO since 1994, initiated a program for Gucci to continue its cooperation with leather manufacturers in Italy.

Gucci’s pricing policy was reviewed and its advertising budget was reduced to $6 million in 1993. for 70 million dollars in 1997 removed. In 1995, the company was established for the first time in the USA by adjusting its share value. IPOed on the New York Stock Exchange. Subsequently, Investcorp sold its shares in Gucci for approximately US$1.9 billion.

Between 1995 and 1999, LVMH secretly acquired shares of Gucci. Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole, they wanted to sell Gucci to get out of this situation. Kering Group, owned by Pinault Printemps Redoute, purchased 40% of Gucci at a price of $75 per share, reducing LVMH’s shares to 20.7%.

However, in 2000 Gucci Alexander McQueen His purchase of 51% of the fashion house caused problems because McQueen was also the designer of LVMH’s Givenchy.

In 2001, disputes at Gucci were resolved with all parties reaching a compromise.

Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole at the end of 2003 Contracts with Gucci-PPR They announced that they would not be defeated in 2004. After Ford’s departure, the designers he trained were; so John Ray, Alessandra Facchinetti and Frida Giannini took over.

Due to stagnation of sales in 2014 Giannini and DiMarco He was fired from the company, and in 2015, Marco Bizzarri became the CEO of Gucci and Alessandro Michele sat in the designer chair. Gucci under Michele’s leadership; It has been reshaped by focusing on elements such as colorful prints, retro style and homewear.

In early 2017, under Michele’s management, Gucci achieved record sales and Kering achieved an 11% increase in profits explained. Today Gucci; While it continues to lead fashion with colorful prints, retro style and original designs, the company’s financial success and global influence show that the brand is in a strong position.

The movie “House of Gucci”, about the family, was also released in 2021.