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Guccio Gucci S.p.A.,[4][5]doing business asGucci (/ˈɡuːtʃi/ⓘGOO-chee,Italian:[ˈɡuttʃi]), is an Italianluxuryfashion house based inFlorence.[6][7][8] Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding toCoty for fragrance and cosmetics under the name Gucci Beauty.[9]
Gucci was founded in 1921 byGuccio Gucci (1881–1953) inFlorence, Tuscany. Under the direction ofAldo Gucci (son of Guccio), Gucci became a global brand, and was considered emblematic of theItalian economic miracle. Following family feuds during the 1980s, the Gucci family was entirely ousted from the capital of the company by 1993. After this crisis, the brand was revived and in 1999 Gucci became a subsidiary of the French conglomerate PPR, which later renamed itself toKering.
In 2024, Gucci operated 529 stores with 20,032 employees, and generated €7.65 billion in sales.[10] Stefano Cantino has been CEO of Gucci since October 2024[11] andDemna creative director since March 2025.[12]
The Gucci family claims its origins are rooted in the merchant city ofFlorence since around 1410. Guccio Giovanbattista Giacinto Dario Maria Gucci (1881–1953) left Florence forParis, and settled inLondon in 1897 to work at the high-endSavoy Hotel. While working as a bellhop there, he would load/unload the luggage of the hotel's wealthy clients, learning about their tastes in fashion, quality, fabrics, and traveling conditions. He later worked four years for theCompagnie des Wagons-Lits, the European rail company that specialized in upscale travel leisure, thus further enhancing his experience with luxurious traveling lifestyles. AfterWorld War I, he worked for the maker of fine luggageFranzi.[13][14]
In 1921, Guccio Gucci bought his own shop on Via della Vigna Nuova in Florence,Azienda Individuale Guccio Gucci,[15] where he sold imported leather luggage. He also opened a small workshop to have his own leather goods made by local craftsmen. Eventually, a larger workshop had to be acquired to house Gucci's sixty artisans. In 1935, theinvasion of Ethiopia by Mussolini led theLeague of Nations to impose a trade embargo on Italy. Leather became scarce, pushing Guccio Gucci to introduce other fabrics in the composition of the products, such as raffia, wicker, wood, linen and jute. The rombi motif, a Gucci signature, was created. The Guccis developed a new tanning technique to produce "cuoio grasso", which became a Gucci trademark. In 1937, Gucci launched its handbags.[14][13]
Guccio's wife and children all worked in the shop.Aldo, the son of Guccio, became increasingly involved in the family company since he started working there in 1925. He convinced his father to grow by opening a new shop inRome (21 Via Condotti) in 1938, and launched more Gucci accessories (gloves, belts,wallets, keychains). DuringWorld War II, the artisans of Gucci worked on making boots for the Italian infantry.[14][13]
The company made handbags of cottoncanvas rather than leather during World War II as a result of material shortages. The canvas, however, was distinguished by a signature double-G symbol combined with prominent red and green bands. After the war, the Gucci crest, which showed a shield and armored knight surrounded by a ribbon inscribed with the family name, became synonymous with the city of Florence.
After the war, Guccio Gucci distributed the shares of the company to his three sons (Aldo, Vasco andRodolfo). In 1947, Gucci launched the Bamboo bag.[16] The bag created using lightweight bamboo for handles was a response to continued post-war material scarcity.[17][18] The brand launched its first global tagline,Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten. The iconicmoccasins (Gucciloafer) were launched in 1952. Guccio Gucci died on 2 January 1953 in Milan. In November 1953, Gucci opened its first US store on5th Avenue and58th Street in New York. A second NY shop opened in theSaint Regis Hotel in 1960, and a third on 5th Avenue and54th Street in 1973, leading the locals to call this NY area "Gucci City".[13]
In 1961, Gucci opened stores inLondon andPalm Beach, and launched theJackie Bag, named after theFirst LadyJacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. In March 1963, Gucci opened its first French store nearPlace Vendôme inParis.[13] The double-G logo for belt buckles and other accessory decorations was introduced in 1964.[19] The Flora scarf was designed in 1966 by Rodolfo Gucci and Vittorio Accornero forGrace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, who became a notable consumer of Gucci products. In October 1968, Gucci opened a store at 347Rodeo Drive, driving many Hollywood stars to endorse the brand. With the Rodeo Drive opening came the launch of Gucci's first dresses. Gucci's breakthrough in the United States led to its global development in Asia (Tokyo opening in 1972, Hong Kong in 1974) and the Middle East.[13] In Brussels, Aldo's son Roberto piloted the first Gucci franchised store. By 1969, Gucci was managing ten shops in the United States. 84,000 Gucci moccasins were sold in the US alone that year. US PresidentJohn F. Kennedy called Aldo Gucci the "first Italian ambassador to the United States".[14]
Gucci launched aRolls-Royce luggage set in 1970[13] and partnered withAmerican Motors Corporation (AMC) to create theGucci version of the AMC Hornet that was marketed during the 1971, 1972, and 1973 model years. The Gucci Sportabout wagon became one of the first American cars to offer a special luxurytrim package created by a famous fashion designer.[20][21][22] Gucci launched Gucci Perfumes (Il Mio Profumo) and its first watch (Model 2000) in 1972, its first franchised store in the US in 1973, and opened the Gucci Galleria in its Beverly Hills store in 1977, a private art gallery adjoined to the store and reserved to premium clients who were given a golden key to access it.[13][14] From 1978 to 1984 aMiami-basedcoachbuilder marketed a Gucci edition of theCadillac Seville sedan (the 1978 model is exhibited at the Gucci Museum).[23] Prices of Gucci products kept going up, the pouch handbag going from $79 in the 1960s to $175 in 1974.[24]
In 1985, the Gucci loafer became part of the permanent collection of theNew York Moma.[25]
American singer,Jacob Sartorius, wearing a pair of Gucci slides
In 1969, Giorgio, the son of Aldo, had sparked the first family feud by launchingGucci Boutique on his own, which was finally reabsorbed by the family group in 1972.[14] During the 1980s, the Gucci saga eroded the family-held top management of the company and fed the press headlines.Paolo Gucci, son of Aldo, tried to launch the brandGucci Plus on his own. Aldo was criticized for developing most of the international business under Gucci America, which he owned. In 1982, to ease tensions in the family, the Gucci group was consolidated and became a publicly traded company, Guccio Gucci SpA.[26][13] In May 1983, Rodolfo died. His son Maurizio Gucci inherited his father's majority stake in the company and launched a legal war against his uncle Aldo for full control of Gucci (a prosecution led by the city prosecutorRudolph Giuliani, and withDomenico de Sole representing the Gucci family).[13]Maurizio Gucci took over the company's direction.[27] In 1986, Aldo Gucci, 81, with only 16.7% of Gucci left in his possession, was sentenced to a year in prison fortax evasion[28][29] (in a prison whereAlbert Nipon was also an inmate[13]). The artwork of the Gucci Galleria was liquidated.[13] In 1988, Maurizio Gucci sold almost 47.8% of Gucci to theBahrain-based investment fundInvestcorp (owner ofTiffany since 1984), and withheld the other 50%.[30]
Despite the family disputes, between 1981 and 1987, the sales of trademarked Gucci products reached $400 million,[31] and $227 million in 1990 alone.[32] The 1980s were characterized by a mass-production of Gucci products (700,000 handbags produced annually[27]), which generated revenue but negatively affected Gucci's position as an exclusive luxury brand. Maurizio Gucci hiredDawn Mello to put Gucci back on tracks.[33][32]
From 1991 to 1993, Gucci's finances were still in the red. Maurizio Gucci was blamed for spending extravagant amounts of money on the company's headquarters in Florence (Via delle Caldaie palazzo) and in Milan. Investcorp bought the remaining 50% of Guccio Gucci S.p.A. from Maurizio Gucci in 1993, ending the family involvement in the group.[34] In March 1995, Maurizio Gucci was shot dead in the lobby of Gucci's Milan office.[35] His ex-wifePatrizia Reggiani served 16 years in jail for hiring the hitman to murder him.[36]
Dawn Mello[37] was hired in November 1989 as Gucci's executive vice president and chief designer. She reduced the number of stores from over 1,000 to 180 in a move to rebuild the brand's exclusivity. She also reduced the number of items sold by Gucci from 22,000 to 7,000. She revived the Bamboo bag and the Gucci loafer. She moved Gucci's headquarters back from Milan to Florence, where the history of Gucci is deeply rooted.[32]
Dawn Mello hired Tom Ford to oversee the women's ready-to-wear collection.[34] In 1994, Tom Ford was named creative director of Gucci.[38] Ford and Mello revisited the 1970s archives of the brand. Ford's 1995 collection, which included the sensual white dresses with provocative cut-outs, became an instant hit.[34] Revived through thehot-bod hedonism of Tom Ford's creations, Gucci also launched provocative products in limited edition such as silver handcuffs,[39] aG-string[40] and provocative ad campaigns such as the G logo shaved on pubic hair.[41]
Gucci dress
Domenico De Sole, legal adviser to the Gucci family since the 1980s and CEO of Gucci since 1994, campaigned for Gucci's leather manufacturers in Italy to keep working together and developed a partners' program to strengthen their ties. He reviewed the pricing of each product and gradually raised Gucci's advertising budget from $6 million in 1993 to $70 million in 1997.[42] In October 1995, the company was publicly indexed on theNew York Stock Exchange with an initial stock value set at US$22.[34] Then, from 1995 to 1997, Investcorp sold its interests in Gucci for around US$1.9 billion.[43]
LVMH-PPR struggle over Gucci
By January 1999, the French luxury conglomerateLVMH, which had been buying shares of Gucci discreetly since 1995, reached 34% ownership in Gucci Group NV.[44] Seeking a way out of LVMH's control, Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole turned to the French financierFrançois Pinault and his groupPinault Printemps Redoute, which later became Kering, for an emergency exit. In March, Pinault's group bought out 40% of Gucci at $75 a share, and LVMH's shares decreased to 20.7% in a dilution process. Through the deal, PPR also purchasedYves Saint Laurent fromSanofi and sold it back for the same price to the Gucci Group.[45] Thiscoup d'état in the fashion world launched a cold war between LVMH and the new Gucci-PPR coalition.[46] A tension occurred in December 2000 when Gucci bought 51% ofAlexander McQueen's couture house, asMcQueen was also the creative designer of LVMH'sGivenchy at that time.[47] The feud around Gucci ended in September 2001 when all parties reached an agreement.[46] By the end of 2003, Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole made it official that they would not renew their contract with Gucci-PPR that ended in April 2004.[48]
Following Ford's departure, Gucci Group retained three designers to continue the success of the company's flagship label: John Ray,Alessandra Facchinetti andFrida Giannini, all of whom had worked under Ford's creative direction. Facchinetti was elevated to Creative Director of Women's wear in 2004 and designed for two seasons before leaving the company. Ray served as Creative Director ofMenswear for three years.Frida Giannini – a Gucci handbag designer since 2002, head of accessories since 2004, and creative director of women's ready-to-wear and accessories since 2005 – was appointed creative director of Gucci in 2006.[49] Patrizio di Marco, formerly CEO ofBottega Veneta, was named CEO of Gucci in 2008.[50] Both acclaimed and criticized for perpetually revisiting Tom Ford's archives, Frida Giannini eventually toned down Ford's explosive 'Porno Chic' props over the years "from sexy to sensual", and started to experiment with 'androgynous Bohemian' styles with a 19th-century reminiscence.[51] She also developed "neo-classics" such as the New Bamboo and the NewJackie handbags.[52] Patrizio di Marco focused on the post-2008 crisis with fewer styles and more midrange products.[53] In 2010, Gucci launched a partnership with the auction houseChristie's to develop a wider repository of the brand's archives and provide an authenticity certification service.[52] In 2011, the company opened the Gucci Museum (Gucci Museo) in Florence to celebrate its 90th anniversary.[54] Between 2010 and 2015, 220 new Gucci stores opened, bringing the total store count to 500.[55]
BrandRenaissance
Two ensembles by Alessandro Michele for Gucci, on display at theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York, 2019.
In December 2014, Marco Bizzarri, former CEO ofBottega Veneta, was named CEO of Gucci.[56] He was tasked to reverse Gucci's declining sales by giving a new impetus to the brand.[57] In January 2015, Bizzarri appointed Alessandro Michele as the creative director of Gucci. Alessandro Michele had been working for Gucci since 2002, and he served as Frida Giannini's deputy and head accessories designer. During the Fall show of February 2015, Alessandro Michele introduced "a different Gucci",[58][59] one with a "sophisticated, intellectual and androgynous feel".[57]
Alessandro Michele launched theRenaissance of Gucci.[60] He revived Gucci classics, such as the double-G logo,[61] theGucci Jackie bag,[62] and more; he also created iconic products like the Dionysus handbag.[63] With a feminized menswear line, a strong feminist stance, and a 'geek-chic' style, Alessandro Michele introduced postgender props for Gucci.[64]
In September 2016 Gucci inaugurated the Gucci Hub, its new Milan headquarters, built in the formerCaproni aeronautical factory.[65] In July 2017, Gucci announced the launch of Gucci Décor, which was the first time the brand tested itself in thehome decoration segment.[66] In April 2018, Gucci inaugurated the ArtLab, a 37,000-square-metre center of innovation outside Florence in Italy, where new leather goods and materials, footwear, metal hardware, and packaging are developed and tested.[67] In November 2018, Gucci opened the Gucci Wooster Bookstore in New York, a 2,000-book shop curated by the founder of Dashwood BooksDavid Strettell.[68] In April 2019, the company launched Gucci 9, a 500-employee network of 6call centers worldwide for high-end customer service.[69] Gucci also revived its makeup collection[70] and launched its first fine jewelry collection.[71] In December 2020, following an agreement between Kering and Alibaba, Gucci launched two stores (fashion and beauty) on Tmall.[72] On November 23, 2022, Alessandro Michele left the post of creative director of Gucci.[73]
In January 2023,Sabato de Sarno was appointed creative director of Gucci[74] to "reestablish Gucci's edge" and "restore its brand equity", after the Bizzarri/Michele success had also eroded Gucci's luxury glow.[75] His first collection, dubbed 'Gucci Ancora' (Italian for 'Gucci again') introduced a new It color, theGucci Rosso Ancora, a velvet burgundy with an oxblood hue.[76] ForThe New York Times' fashion journalistVanessa Friedman, the collection was "not a major statement, but rather a cleansing interregnum after the overblown muchness of Mr. Michele's tenure",[77] marking the dawn of a "new era of pragmatism" for the brand.[78] During this creative reboot, the company launched a phase of restructuring and consolidation[75] and in July 2023, Jean-François Palus replaced Marco Bizzarri as CEO of Gucci to drive the transition.[79] Sales dropped 6% in 2023, a "trying year" according to Kering's CEO François-Henri Pinault.[80] In October 2024, Stefano Cantino took over as CEO.[11] De Sarno left Gucci in February 2025[81] and was replaced byDemna Gvasalia the following month.[82]
Description
Gucci's holding company Guccio Gucci S.p.A. is based inFlorence,Italy, and is a subsidiary of the French luxury groupKering. In 2024, Gucci operated 529 stores for 20,032 employees, and generated €7.65 billion in revenue.[10]
Governance
In the history of Gucci, up until the end of the Gucci family era (1980s), the design, promotion, and production of Gucci products were handled by the members of the Gucci family.[83]
"Gucci" is often used as an eponymous adjective; for example, "I feel Gucci!" or "that’s so Gucci!" are used to describe feeling luxurious or referencing something as being luxurious.[94][95] The earliest known instance of Gucci used in this sense isLenny Kravitz describing his bedroom as "very Gucci"[96] in the September 1999 issue ofHarper's Bazaar.[96]
Movies
After initially announcing plans for a movie about the Gucci dynasty in 2007,[97] filmmakerRidley Scott detailed specifics about his movie in November 2019; titledHouse of Gucci, the movie would starLady Gaga asPatrizia Reggiani andAdam Driver asMaurizio Gucci.[98]House of Gucci's world premiere took place at theOdeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on November 9, 2021.[99] The Gucci family heirs called Scott's movie "an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today".[100] In 2000,Martin Scorsese had also announced plans to make a movie about the Gucci family.[101]
Guinness World Records
1974: TheModel 2000 Gucci watch broke the record for selling more than one million units in two years.[14]
1998: The Gucci "Genius Jeans" set the record as the most expensive pair of jeans. The jeans were distressed, ripped, and covered with African-inspired beads and were priced at US$3,134 in Milan.[102][103]
Counterfeiting
During the 1970s, the explosive popularity of Gucci turned the brand into a prime target of the counterfeiting industry.[13] The Gucci workshops elaborated the brindle pigskin tanning technique that became a Gucci signature, and a tanning process difficult to counterfeit. In 1977 alone, Gucci launched 34 lawsuits for counterfeiting.[14] By the mid-1980s, the brand was involved in "thousands of confiscations and lawsuits all over the world".[104]
In 2013, the UK's Intellectual Property Office issued a ruling that Gucci had lost the rights to its GG trademark in the UK "to a version of the GG logo in four categories, which encompassed garments such as bracelets, shoulder bags, scarves and coats".[105] However, "according to Gucci, the ruling does not affect the use of its GG logo in the region" because "Gucci is the owner of several other valid registrations for this mark, including a Community Trade Mark (covering theEuropean Union) for its iconic GG logo and those rights are directly enforceable in the U.K."[105]
In November 2008, the website TheBagAddiction.com was shut down after being sued by Gucci for selling counterfeit products.[106] In 2013, Gucci cracked down on 155 domain names used by counterfeiters to sell fake Gucci products.[107] In 2015, Gucci's parent companyKering sued the Chinese websiteAlibaba for listing a lot of "obviously fake Gucci products" on its website.[108] In April 2016, Gucci's anti-counterfeiting legal actions backfired when the targeted products werepapier-mâché shaped exactly like Gucci products and burned by Chinese people during the ancestralQingming Jie tradition.[109] In April 2017, Gucci won a lawsuit against 89 Chinese websites selling fake Gucci products.[110] In October 2018, Marco Bizzarri warned the Chinese ecommerce giantsAlibaba andJD.com that Gucci could not open shop on their websites as long as they would not remove the many fake Gucci products out of their listings.[111] In December 2019, Gucci sued three dozen websites selling fake Gucci products.[112] In 2023, Gucci USA filed a lawsuit againstSam's Club,Century 21 andLord & Taylor for selling counterfeit Gucci products.[113]
In February 2019, Gucci removed a blackbalaclava sweater with a rollup collar and a cut-out red-lipped mouth from its shelves after it had been compared to ablackface costume[117][118] (Michele was inspired byLeigh Bowery but still apologized).[119] To address this issue, Gucci launched the 'Gucci North America Changemakers Scholarship' program dedicated to foster diversity within the fashion industry with a $5-million annual fund to support non-profits and community-based programs involved with "the African-American community and communities of color at-large".[120] Two months later, theSikh community inIndia criticized Gucci's cultural appropriation of a religious item when the Italian brand commercializedturbans at $800 apiece.[121] Gucci appointed a Global Head of Diversity to address the brand's latest issues withcultural diversity[122] and launched a $1.5-million scholarship program for US students traditionally underrepresented in the fashion industry.[123]
In 2019, Kering agreed to pay a $1.25 billion tax settlement in Italy following Gucci's 2011–2017 tax irregularities.[124]
During a September 2019 show that mimicked a défilé of mental patients,catwalk model Ayesha Tan Jones held up her hands on which "mental health is not fashion" was written, a reaction to the brand's inappropriate commercial use of the imagery ofmental illness.[125]
In November 2023, in response to Gucci's October decision to move 153 of 219 design employees from Rome to Milan by March 2024, 50 employees went on a one-daystrike in the first industrial action against the company in its 102-year history.[126]Trade union representatives said the workers intended to protest throughout the month of November 2023.[127]
In 2025, Gucci was the target of a lawsuit from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals), who had found that pythons used for Gucci products were killed using inhumane methods, such as bludgeoning or inflating with water.[1]
^"Gucci Logo".FamousLogos.net. Archived fromthe original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved20 March 2011.
^Georgano, G.N., ed. (1985).The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885 to the present. Guild Publishing. p. 93.
^Lund, Robert (October 1971)."AMC gets it together".Popular Mechanics.136 (4):116–118, 206.Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved28 June 2017.
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