Gucci

Gucci officially Guccio Gucci S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Florence, Tuscany. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty for fragrance and cosmetics under the name Gucci Beauty.

Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci (1881–1953) in Florence. Under the direction of Aldo Gucci (son of Guccio), Gucci became a global brand, and was considered emblematic of the Italian 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 to Kering.

In 2024, Gucci operated 529 stores with 20,032 employees, and generated €7.65 billion in sales. Stefano Cantino has been CEO of Gucci since October 2024 and Demna creative director since March 2025.

History

1921 birth in Florence

The Gucci family claims its origins are rooted in the merchant city of Florence since around 1410. Guccio Giovanbattista Giacinto Dario Maria Gucci (1881–1953) left Florence for Paris, and settled in London in 1897 to work at the high-end Savoy 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 the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits, the European rail company that specialized in upscale travel leisure, thus further enhancing his experience with luxurious traveling lifestyles. After World War I, he worked for the maker of fine luggage Franzi.