What is not so famous about the famous fashion designer and founder of Gucci, Guccio Gucci?
Guccio Giovanbattista Giacinto Dario Maria Gucci is the famous Italian Entrepreneur, Businessman and fashion designer of the history. He is famously known as the founder of Gucci as Guccio Gucci. He was born on 26 March 1881, in France, Tuscany to a humble and talented family of Italy. Guccio was the son of a Tuscan leather craftsman, from the central manufacturing northern region of the country.
Guccio spent his teen life travelling to countries in search of inspiration for his work
In 1898, as a teenager, Guccio left his birthplace Florence in Italy to travel to Paris “the house of fashion” then to London. Travelling to different countries helped him gain an appreciation of cosmopolitan culture, sophistication, and aesthetics. He was looking for adventure yet inspiration.
Guccio Gucci, also the observer Maitre d’
While living in London, he worked at the Savoy Hotel as maitre d’ means the one who operates electric elevators. Savoy was the first hotel in the world to operate an electric elevator. This hotel was also the first to install electric lights and telephone prototypes. In early 20s, Savoy was the most central and luxury hotel in Europe and preferably the best overnight spot for all the celebrities and politicians of that time who visited London.
Until Guccio reached his desired goal he went through many titles and worked as Dishwasher, waiter, bellhop, concierge were among the few. While he worked as a maître d’ at Savoy Hotel he had an honour to give an elevator ride to such great and famous people. Some of them are Claude Monet, Merlin Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Winston Churchill and countless others and that’s when he used to observe and learned their styles, their clothing, accessories, jewelry, manners and habits being a true Italian worker who is given the frequency of many celebrity encounters.
Returned to his Homeland with his Savings
When Guccio came back to his home land Italy, he had enough savings to start his own business. Guccio started helping out his father in the making of saddles and leather travel bags. With decreasing demand for saddles, with the advent of automobiles, this father son duo extended their business by making various other accessories to keep his business going.
Expansion of Family Business with betterment in quality
After their successful craftsmanship, In 1921 Guccio extended his father’s family business successfully with the combination of sophistication and the craftsmanship of Italy with no compromise on quality. Guccio opened his first store in the Via della Vigna Nuova in Florence and became the founder of the presently famous fashion brand Gucci. The brand soon became best and famously known for quality leather goods and fine craftsmanship in Italy. The brand soon became demanding among the people from all over the world and known as the best place for the loafer shoe with a glide snaffle, which was the first of its kind and soon became popular as casual footwear in Italy. People from all over the world specially came to Florence to purchase the quality items from Gucci.
Passing on the Legacy to next generation
Later on in 1938, Guccio stretched his business in the second location by opening a boutique on the Via Condotti, close to Bulgari and exclusive shirt maker Enrico Cucci in the city of Rome, where his four sons also joined the Gucci firm. With a lack of foreign suppliers they experimented with different materials such as they played with hemp, linen and jute. And the most notable innovation of Gucci was polishing cane to produce the handle of the Bamboo Bag, which was inspired by a saddle’s shape.
With Guccio aging, his elder son started to take over the family business. In 1952, Aldo traveled to New York with his brothers Rodolfo and Vasco for the expansion of their father’s business. They hired an American Lawyer Frank Dugan, who helped them to set up Gucci Shops Inc. owned the rights to the Gucci trademark in the United States. To expand their business in the United States, the brothers opened their first American store on East Fifty-Eighth Street, around the corner from Fifth Avenue. To continue the family legacy, Aldo’s youngest son and Guccio’s grandson Paolo Gucci, began to work as a designer under Vasco in Florence.
The first ever expansion in the United States yet the Tragedy of Guccio’s death
Two weeks after Aldo opened his father’s legacy, Gucci’s New York boutique on 2 January, 1953. Not just his father but also the founder of Guccio Gucci died at home in Florence at 72. After Guccio’s death, the firm was split among three parts between his three elder sons Aldo, Rodolfo and Vasco to continue his legacy and to spread its wings wide and all over the world ‘Gucci’ became a leading brand. The three parts of the firm consisted of Aldo continued to supervise Gucci’s expansion and growth abroad and had the authority and rights to take all major business decisions, While Rodolfo managed the Milan store. Vasco supervised operations at a new factory which was opened in Florence’s Oltrarno district.
The brand did not remain the same as it was founded by Guccio Gucci
Guccio’s brand has undergone a lot of changes since then his legacy was taken over by his sons. The brand founded by him sustained to flourish and created iconic designs year after year with remarkable success and quality products. The Gucci brothers decided to expand the brand to Europe and then further expanded across Asia, Australia, and world over by the 1970s with the wide ranges in their products from readymade garments to accessories as per the demand of customers.
The certain changings in managements
In early 80s, the overall management of the brand was given to Rodolfo which was furthermore transferred to his son Maurizio and became group president in 1989. Later on, Dawn Mello, ‘The president of Bergdorf Goodman’ was hired by Maurizio to inject new life into the firm Gucci, where she helped the firm with reinterpretations of the Gucci’s bestsellers which included the “Bamboo bags” and “Loafers.” To give rebirth to the former success of Gucci, Tom Ford was hired in 1994. When Domenico De Sole was appointed CEO of Gucci, turned the company into a fully public company. Giving the label of glamour revolving the Gucci into a celebrity must have, Ford left Gucci in 2004. Years after Gucci came up with more success, Gucci was named the most desirable luxury brand in the world by Nielsen the subsequent year with their wide range in collection from children to men and expanding to women.
Who owns Gucci presently?
Presently Gucci is owned by the French luxury group Kering. In addition to Gucci, Kering and its proprietor Francois Pinault also own Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. This famous French businessman and art collector also owns a plethora of auction houses, wineries, and some famous French publications.
Net worth of the Brand Gucci
With its 540 stores for 14,628 employees, the company generates €17.63 billion in revenue . According to the present statistics, the present brand value of Gucci from all over the world is valued at approximately 17.63 billion U.S. dollars which means the brand net worth increased almost 7 billion U.S. dollar.
Some Juicy Facts about Gucci
- Gucci was founded in Florence, Italy when the founder was 40.
- The twofold ‘G’ logo stands for Guccio Gucci.
- Although having the foundation of Italy, the brand’s style was inspired by those celebs and people living in London and around England.
- Handbags are the most famous items for Gucci but the firm started off by selling the leather products which includes quality luggage items and detachable leather bags for saddles.
- Easy to recognize Gucci’s products by its forefront logo which was first seen in the 1950’s and ever since remained a key part of the brand.
- The scarfs of Gucci were designed by one of his sons, Rodolfo.
- Gucci almost went bankrupt after scandalous stories of the Gucci family hit the press under the management of Rodolfo’s son, Maurizio.
- To give rebirth to the brand and give out positive change, the president of Gucci hired Tom Ford. And later on Ford was the largest shareholder at one point during his time at Gucci.
Gucci ‘The brand of Quality’
Gucci is best known as the brand of quality worldwide with wide in their range. Some people think that the brand is much pricey that its item and right now its fighting a battle with the fake high copies in order to maintain its exclusivity which Aldo Gucci quoted that very well,
“Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.”
Moreover, he also targeted about the fake ones who are selling master high copies that,
“The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory.”