Born: Florence, Italy, 1881
Died: Milan, Italy, 1953
Gucci was originally a leather goods company founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1922. Gucci, who worked as the maître d’ at the Savoy in London from 1915 before returning to Florence, knew the importance of service and good quality. He invented the signature interlocking Gs and the red and green trim. In recent years the Gucci label has enjoyed a renaissance of gargantuan proportions. The design director, Tom Ford, appointed in 1994, has pulled off what every financier dreams of: reinvigorating an established house while retaining its identity.
In 1989, following the trend for established houses to be injected with new life, Dawn Mello, who had been president of Bergdorf Goodman for 15 years, took up an offer to move to Italy to become creative director of the label that had gone to sleep and was in desperate need of remerchandizing. Mello kick-started the Gucci rebirth in 1992. Bestsellers included reinterpretations of the classics of the 1960s: loafers, bamboo bag and leather wallet with hand-shaped silver clasp. Mello rejoined Bergdorf Goodman in 1994 and her ready-to-wear designer, a texan called Tom Ford, took Gucci fromsleepy status-symbol to celebrity must-have. He has a hands-on approach with everything from handbags to his shops’ interiors.
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