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Guccio Gucci -

The Gucci brand began with Guccio Gucci, who was born in Florence in 1881. As a young man, Gucci went to London and got a job working at the Savoy Hotel. He was inspired by the beautiful but impractical luggage of the elite guests.

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Working with leather -

Gucci returned to Italy and began working with the leather manufacturer Franzi in 1902, which was his first step into the world of fashion.

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The beginning of Gucci -

After years of work, Gucci started his own company manufacturing leather luggage. He opened his first two stores in Florence in 1921.

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Sanctions on Italy -

Many sanctions were put on Italy by the League of Nations between 1935 and 1936 due to the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. This made it difficult to obtain imported leather and the other materials Gucci used for his business.

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From necessity to success -

These restrictions forced Gucci to get creative and resulted in one of the styles the brand is best known for today. They created a woven material made of Florentine hemp, printed with their first signature print. It was a series of small interconnected diamonds in a dark brown color on a tan background.

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Signature luggage -

This motif was used on their very first suitcase and would go on to be a common feature of their products in the following decades.

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Aldo's innovation -

It wasn’t until around 1947, after World War II, that leather became accessible again. At this point, Gucci’s sons had grown up and became involved in the business. His oldest son, Aldo, is attributed with the introduction of pigskin, which became the signature material of the brand.

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Green and red join the party -

Another of Gucci’s sons, Rodolfo, opened their first Milan store in 1951. It was around this time that the red and green stripes became a hallmark of the brand.

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The death of Guccio -

Aldo Gucci opened their first US store in New York in the Savoy Plaza Hotel in 1953, making the brand a pioneer for Italian fashion in the US. Sadly, Guccio Gucci died just 15 days after the store opened, at the age of 72.

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The Gucci loafers -

That same year, the iconic Gucci loafers with metal horsebit (the connecting metal rings) were launched, and would become one of their most popular products.

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The Jackie -

In 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy was spotted carrying a Gucci handbag. Her influence was so huge that it caused a surge in demand and they renamed the bag the Jackie.

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Honoring Guccio Gucci -

It was during the 1960s that the ‘GG’ motif was added to the brand’s logo and signature print. The sons came up with this motif in honor of their father, Guccio Gucci.

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The Flora scarf -

Gucci’s trademark Flora print scarf was designed for Princess Grace of Monaco. The floral-print silk scarf has recently come back into fashion along with a nostalgia for the style of the 1960s and 1970s.

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Growing success -

The family continued to expand their business at home and abroad, and by the 1970s they were experiencing enormous international success.

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Expanding into clothing and perfume -

In the mid-70s, Gucci began to launch their first clothing and perfume lines, adding to their popular selection of bags, shoes, and accessories.

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In-fighting and scandal -

However, while the brand was rising to a meteoric level of success, the Gucci family was in turmoil behind the scenes. The death of Guccio Gucci in 1953 was the catalyst for a power struggle within the Gucci family.

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Aldo Gucci -

Aldo took over as the head of the company, and his three sons joined the family business. However, he did not see eye to eye with his son Paulo.

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Paolo Gucci -

Reports say that Paolo was creative and opinionated, challenging his father’s direction. Aldo, on the other hand, was described by some as a tyrant who could not stand having his authority questioned.

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A dramatic exit -

Paolo left the company in a dramatic fashion in 1982. He expressed his desire to branch out and start his own brand. His father fired him immediately, which was followed by a physical fight between Paolo and his brothers during a boardroom meeting.

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Aldo is deposed -

Hellbent on exacting revenge against his father, Paolo started a lawsuit against the company and turned Aldo in to the authorities for tax evasion. It turned out that Aldo had avoided paying millions in taxes over the years, and he was sentenced to a year in prison.

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Maurizio steps up -

A grandson of Guccio Gucci, Rodolfo’s son Maurizio took over the business in the meantime. He had already experienced a great deal of tension with his own father over his desire to marry a woman named Patrizia Reggiani.

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Patrizia Reggiani -

Patrizia Reggiani was the daughter of a laundry woman and grew up in poor conditions. Her mother pulled them out of poverty by marrying a rich man. Nonetheless, Rodolfo believed Reggiani was a social climber who wanted to marry his son for money and status. The relationship caused such strife between father and son that Maurizio was cut off from the family and went to live with Reggiani and her stepfather. Eventually, Rodolfo put his misgivings aside and attended their wedding in 1972.

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Taking control -

Rodolfo died in 1983, and Maurizio made moves to take over full control of the company. He was determined to return the brand to its previous status, and took out huge loans in order to buy out his family members and take their shares.

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Failure to thrive -

Unfortunately, he and Reggiani enjoyed too lavish a lifestyle. They owned many homes, including a luxurious penthouse in New York. Maurizio failed to improve the prestige of the brand, and, in fact, lost US$30 million. His creditors came knocking and he couldn’t pay his debts. By 1991, he had brought the business to the verge of bankruptcy.

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Bankruptcy and selling out -

In order to avoid total ruin, Maurizio gave in and sold his shares to a Bahraini investment company called Investcorp. This meant that, after 70 years, the Gucci family no longer had any hold over the Gucci brand. This was just the beginning of Maurizio’s troubles.

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The end of Maurizio's marriage -

By Patrizia Reggiani’s account, problems began in their marriage when he became fixated on controlling the brand and stopped listening to her advice. She felt a deep connection to the business and was furious with him for almost ruining it. The fighting became too much and Maurizio left her in 1985. She continued to consider herself a Gucci and continued to refer to him as her husband for more than a decade after.

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Maurizio's murder -

They officially divorced in 1994, and in 1995 Maurizio was gunned down in the lobby of his office building. Police determined that it was a professional assassination. Reggiani was arrested and convicted for ordering his murder, along with the hired gunman.

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Patrizia's sentence -

Reggiani was sentenced to 26 years in prison, but was released in 2016 after serving 16 years. She was offered parole in 2011 under a work-release program, but reportedly turned it down, saying: "I've never worked in my life and I'm certainly not going to start now."

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'House of Gucci' (2021) -

The dramatic story of Maurizio Gucci and Patrizia Reggiani's relationship is being told in the 2021 movie 'House of Gucci,' starring Adam Driver and Lady Gaga.

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A new generation of creative directors -

Around the same time that Patrizia Reggiani was headed to prison, an exciting young designer called Tom Ford had been made creative director of Gucci and was bringing the brand into a new era. Despite the incredible scandal, Gucci continued to grow and expand its influence in the fashion world.

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Alessandro Michele -

Today, Alessandro Michele is the creative director and is guiding the brand into the age of androgyny, collecting muses such as Harry Styles, Lana Del Ray, Jared Leto, and ASAP Rocky.

Sources: (WWD) (The Guardian) (The Irish Times) (Daily Record)

See also: The best Gucci outfits worn by celebs

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