Gucci is one of the historical fashion brands that has endured the test of time and made substantive advancements in growth despite numerous challenges. The fashion brand was founded by Guccio Gucci in 1921 in Florence, Tuscany (Marzovilla, 2022). It is one of the oldest Italian fashion brands in operation today and just like many other fashion brands, it began initially as a luggage manufacturer, developing and offering luxury travel goods for the wealthy upper class in Italy.
Gucci initially worked as a porter at Savoy Hotel in London, England. He got inspiration to create the brand from the luxurious trunks and suitcases carried by aristocrats who occasionally stayed at the hotel. He returned home in France and started working for Franzi, a luggage company where he took up leather craftsmanship. When he launched his first business, he primarily sold leather goods before finally branching into equestrian equipment. The company hit a snag in 1935 after the League of Nations called an embargo against Italy which caused a shortage in production and supply of leather (Zargani, 2021). It opted to use other materials like hemp or woven canapa to manufacture products for some time.
Leather production and availability began picking up after the Second World War and Gucci’s son created the first pigskin bag for the brand, which became a signature household material. The first bamboo-handled bag was also produced around this time. Gucci expanded to cities like Millan and eventually in New York, near the Savoy Hotel Plaza. Gucci passed on in 1953 at the age of 72, days after opening the New York store (Marzovilla, 2022). The company continued to expand, opening a store in Tokyo in 1972. The company has since grown progressively to a global brand.
The Gucci Logo is among the instantly recognizable symbols across the world. The logo was first a combination of two “Gs” from Gucci initials, created by his son Aldo Gucci (DesignBro, 2022). Through the history of the company, different variations of the intertwined logo were used without changing it. When Gucci passed away, his son momentarily replaced the logo of the brand with an emblem of a knight with a shield. The ‘G’ logo however became stronger and phased out the Knight logo. Gucci almost lost the logo rights in UK after the brand failed to renew the trademark successfully (DesignCrowd, 2023). However, the issue has not stained the fantastic reputation of the brand and it has continued to thrive with the global recognition of the logo.
