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The luxury name of the leather world
A young worker who worked as an immigrant, first in Paris and then at the Savoy Hotel in London used to see branded goods from guest cities and be amused. He was a resident of Florence, Italy. Florence is a city of high-quality materials and skilled craftsmen. From that point of view, the young boy grew up in a lap of luxury, so it was natural for him to be attracted towards luxury goods. Before leaving the Savoy Hotel in London in 1921, he met a manufacturer, HJ Caves & Sons and then returned to his native Florence. Shortly thereafter, he opened a store in Florence, Italy called Gucci which became famous for the classical-style leather fabrics and the owner of the store, Guccio Gucci became the founder of the Gucci brand that would have been a shining light in the fashion world for decades.
In honor of the incredible response one store had received, his three boys - Aldo, Vasco and Rudolfo, opened several other stores in Florence, and later opened stores in metros like Milan and Rome. Fine crafted leather items like handbags and shoes, iconic ornamental loafers and signature pattern knitwear were amplifying both the name and honor of Gucci stores. The company which was in shortage of leather in the market from 1939-1945 due to world war II, started making handbags using cotton canvas and a double G symbol was used to give it an iconic design touch, which has not been changed till date.
In 1953, the Gucci store was opened in New York outside Italy. Between 1950 and 1960, film stars and some rich people from outside Florence brought Gucci international fame. Pictures of the film stars with Gucci clothes, shoes, belts and handbags were printed on the cover of several magazines. At the same time, the company also launched evening bags made of waterproof canvas and bamboo handle handbags. Gucci's shoulder strapped purses were attractive and got a special appeal from women in the early 1960s. The buckle-bearing belts with the Double G logo, released in 1964, had really hit the market. In 1966, Gucci's original loafers were updated with an attractive ornamental style. Gucci's Rolls Royce luggage set was launched in 1970. Seeing people getting crazy for Gucci's designer items, the company gave its traditional design touch to many items like watches, jewellery, tie and eyewear.
In 1970, Aldo tied up Gucci with American automaker AMC (American Motor Corporation). The trim design of the AMC Hornet Station Wagon, which made a splash in the market from 1971 to 1977, was designed by Gucci fashion designers. AMC Hornet is a wonderful model of fashion and engineering. You can see the Gucci crest logo on the front fender of the car. The Fiat-500 was launched in 2011 with the help of Gucci to give its car a trendy design look. Gucci's Double G interlocking logo can be seen between 16-inch tires of the Fiat-500.
The 70s was a golden period for Gucci, but the 80s was about to bring a storm of disappointment. After Rudolfo's death in 1983, his son began making decisions for the brand, which was a complete failure. He fired his uncle Aldo from the company and tried to sell Gucci. But as it is said “Man supposes, but God disposes' '. Because of the untimely death of Rudolph's son, new investors made Dominique-de-Sole the first President of Gucci, and then the CEO. In 1989, the company assigned the editor's charge to the American fashion designer, Down Melo. She hired a designer named Tom Ford for the readymade clothes. Together, the two re-focused the company's business in Florence, where Gucci's craft design was rooted. They then reduced Gucci's product line item from 20,000 to 5,000.
After Down Melo resigned in 1994, Tom Ford and CEO Solé together created a number of French and Italian fashion brands under the name of Gucci like St. Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Bochiron and Sergio Rosy. In 1995, it was decided to make Gucci a public limited company and the brand was registered with the American Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. By 1997, 76 Gucci stores had opened worldwide. In 1998, Gucci was awarded the European Company of the Year because of its economic and financial performance, strategic vision and management quality. Gucci's Genius Jeans was recorded as the most expensive jeans in the Guinness Book of Records in 1998.
It is a matter of pride for the Gucci brand that people started using the word "Gucci" as an adjective. People started calling things ‘Gucci’ which looked expensive, attractive, and quality.
Today, the company is on its way to complete a hundred years of journey. There may be many decisions and diversions to complete a hundred years of successful completion. It is Gucci that keeps moving, passing others to find its way!
Indeed, Gucci's story is very ‘Guccy’!
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