Elite Club, Ltd.

History of Gucci

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No brand would develop without formidable personality that stands behind it. This is just the case with Gucci who founded his business in 1921. It was a small shop at that time. Now it is the whole fashion empire that dictates the trends to the world of fashion. We should be thankful to Gucci as it created many iconic things chosen by celebrities that became known all over the world as the signature items of the brand. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis made Gucci handbag famous. Grace Kelly wore Gucci scarf with Flora print that was very popular in Europe. Gucci penny loafers, velvet pantsuits and bamboo-handled handbags are recognizable – the company manufactures timeless things.

166d5f5cf92cb01f6d2cac7be73a7ad6Gucci pay much attention to the brand recognition. Other fashion houses do not treat brand recognition as seriously as Gucci. We all see the result of this approach.  Who knew that a small company would be so significant in 90 years? Now it produces clothing, high end leather goods and a big range of fashion products. The founder of the brand Guccio Gucci was an immigrant and worked in a luxury hotel where he was impressed with all sorts of beautiful luggage that belonged to rich guests. It urged him to return to his hometown (Florence) and make his own company that specialized on production of leather goods. The style was mainly classical, and methods of fabrication were traditional.  The specialists were invited from Florentine leather crafts. Attentive approach to finishing was the main requirement. With time the company expanded and the family of Guccio Gucci grew as well. He started to work with his three sons who later inherited the brand. New branches of the company were launched in Rome and Milan. In 1953 the office of the company started working in New York.

There were ups and downs in the development of the company. When there was not enough leather during the war, they used to make bags of high quality cotton canvas. The brand is distinguished by its double G-symbol in combination with green and red bands. The company is characterized with distinctive lines that are frequently copied. Gucci manufactures goods of calf skin, pig skin and rare exclusive materials as well. The methods of fabrication used by the company help to provide products of superb quality.

810eac2f9574d1140f54f971f8b8c9daIn the 80-s the company was on the verge of trouble. Family disputes were to blame for the crisis. The prison term of uncle Aldo, management mistakes, but what was more crucial poor quality of the products caused the problems and loss of reputation. Fortunately, the eagerness to put the business back on track saved the situation. Otherwise, we would not have remembered about this fashion house now. The designer Tom Ford was invited to Gucci to return the reputation to the company. More productive work began then. The number of products was reduced four times and emphasis on quality was made. In 1997 the company owned 76 branches around the world. The difficult years of the company – the 1980-s became the milestone for the company. Just at that period the company made wise moves that turned it into the global contender. The company went public in 1995. The cost of the share was 22 dollars then.

Now the reputation of the brand is only growing and worldly famous celebrities are invited to present its products. They contribute to the strength of Gucci. Since 2006 Frida Giannini has been holding the position of Creative Director. She has been doing quite well.