Gucci (Italian pronunciation: [utti]) is an Italian fashion and leather goods brand, part of the Gucci

Group, which is owned by French company Kering formerly known as PPR.[2][3][4] Gucci was founded
by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1921.[5] Gucci generated about 4.2 billion in revenue worldwide in
2008 according to BusinessWeek magazine and climbed to 41st position in the magazine's annual
2009 "Top Global 100 Brands" chart created byInterbrand.[6] Gucci is also the biggest-selling Italian
brand.[6] Gucci operates about 278 directly operated stores worldwide (as of September 2009) and it
wholesales its products through franchisees and upscale department stores. [7]In the year 2013 the
brand was valued at $12.1 Billion USD with a sales of $4.7 billion USD. In the Forbes list for 2013,
Gucci was ranked the 38th most valuable brand.[8] As of January 2015, its creative director is
Alessandro Michele.[9]
Contents
[hide]

1 History

2 Corporate
2.1 New management

2.1.1 Copyright and trademark Issues

2.1.2 Sweatshop Issue

3 Children's line

4 Automobile culture
o

4.1 American Motors Corporation

4.2 General Motors

4.2.1 Cadillac

4.3 Ford Motor Company

4.3.1 Lincoln

4.4 Fiat

5 Partnerships

6 Chime for Change

7 Record

8 See also

9 References

10 External links

History[edit]
With beginnings at the end of the 19th century, the Gucci[10][11][12][13] company became one of the worlds
most successful manufacturers of high-end leather goods, clothing, and other fashion products. As
an immigrant hotel worker in Paris and later London, young Guccio Gucci (18811953) was
impressed with the luxurious luggage he saw urbane guests bring with them. Before leaving, he
visited the manufacturer, H.J. Cave & Sons. Upon returning to his birthplace of Florence, a city
distinguished for high-quality materials and skilled artisans, he established a shop in 1920 that sold
fine leather goods with classic styling. Although Gucci organized his workrooms for industrial
methods of production, he maintained traditional aspects of fabrication. Initially, Gucci employed
skilled workers in basic Florentine leather crafts, attentive to finishing. With expansion, machine
stitching was a production method that supported construction.
Together with three of his sons, Aldo Gucci (1905-1990), Vasco Gucci (19071975), and Rodolfo
Gucci (19121983), Gucci expanded the company to include stores in Milan and Rome as well as
additional shops in Florence. Gucci's stores featured such finely crafted leather accessories as
handbags, shoes, and his iconic ornamented loafer as well as silks and knitwear in a signature
pattern.
The company made handbags of cotton canvas 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.
Aldo and Rodolfo Gucci further expanded the company's horizons in 1953 by establishing offices in
New York City. Film stars and jet-set travelers to Italy during the 1950s and 1960s brought their
glamour to Florence, turning Gucci's merchandise into international status symbols. Movie stars
posed in Gucci's clothing, accessories, and footwear for lifestyle magazines around the world,
contributing to the companys growing reputation.

Gucci shop on Strget in Copenhagen, Denmark

Gucci shop on 5th Avenue in New York

Gucci store in Toronto

Gucci's distinctive lines made its products among the most frequently copied in the world in the early
2000s. Pigskin, calf, and imported exotic animal skins were subjected to various methods of
fabrication. Waterproof canvas and satin were used for evening bags. Bamboo was first used to
make handbag handles by a process of heating and molding in 1947, and purses made with a
shoulder strap and snaffle-bit decoration were introduced in 1960. In 1964 Guccis lush butterfly
pattern was custom-created for silk foulards, followed by equally luxuriant floral patterns. The original
Gucci loafer was updated by a distinctive snaffle-bit ornament in 1966, while the "Rolls-Royce"
luggage set was introduced in 1970. Watches, jewelry, ties, and eyewear were then added to the
company's product lines. A particularly iconic touch, introduced in 1964, was the use of the double-G
logo for belt buckles and other accessory decorations.[14]
The company prospered through the 1970s, but the 1980s were marked by internal family disputes
that brought Gucci to the brink of disaster. Rodolfos son Maurizio took over the companys direction
after his fathers death in 1983, and dismissed his uncle Aldowho eventually served a prison term

for tax evasion. Maurizio proved to be an unsuccessful president; he was compelled to sell the
family-owned company to Investcorp,[15] a Bahrain-based company, in 1988. Maurizio disposed of his
remaining stock in 1993. Tragically, Maurizio was murdered in Milan in 1995, and his former wife,
Patrizia Reggiani, was convicted of hiring his killers. Meanwhile, the new investors promoted the
American-educated Domenico De Sole from the position of family attorney to president of Gucci
America in 1994 and chief executive in 1995.
The company had previously brought in Dawn Mello in 1989 as editor and ready-to-wear designer in
order to reestablish its reputation. Well aware of Guccis tarnished image and the value of its name
brand, Mello hired Tom Ford in 1990 to design a ready-to-wear line. He was promoted to the position
of creative director in 1994. Before Mello returned to her post as president of the American
retailer Bergdorf Goodman, she initiated the return of Guccis headquarters from the business center
of Milan to Florence, where its craft traditions were rooted. There she and Ford reduced the number
of Gucci products from twenty thousand to a more reasonable five thousand.
There were seventy-six Gucci stores around the world in 1997, along with numerous licensing
agreements. Ford was instrumental in the process of decision-making with De Sole when the Gucci
Group acquired Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Sergio Rossi, and, in
part-ownership with Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga. By 2001 Ford and De
Sole shared the responsibility for major business decisions, while Ford concurrently directed design
at Yves Saint Laurent as well as at Gucci.
The French conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, however, gained ownership of 60 percent of
the Gucci Groups stock in 2003. Womens Wear Daily then announced the departure of both
Domenico De Sole and Tom Ford from the Gucci Group when their contracts expired in April 2004.
The last spring collection under the direction of Ford and De Sole was a critical and commercial
success. Amid widespread speculation in the fashion press about Fords heir, the company
announced in March 2004 that he would be replaced by a team of younger designers promoted from
the ranks of the companys staff.[16]
In 2005, Frida Giannini was appointed as the creative director for womens ready-to-wear and
accessories, previously joining Gucci in 2002. In 2006, she also became the creative director for
men's ready-to-wear and the entire Gucci label. [17]
As announced in December 12, 2014, Creative Director Frida Giannini and CEO Patrizio di Marco
were to step down from Gucci. Marco Bizzarri was appointed CEO of the brand. [18]
In January 2015, Alessandro Michele was appointed Creative Director of Gucci. He is responsible for
all of the brands collections and global image. Born in Rome in 1972, Alessandro studied at the
prestigious Academy of Costume & Fashion in Rome. He forged his early design career
inside Fendi where he was Senior Accessories Designer. A rising talent, he was tapped by Tom
Ford in 2002 and moved to Guccis London-based Design Office. Over his 12-year tenure inside the

Gucci design studio, Alessandro held a variety of roles. In 2006 he was named Leather Goods
Design Director and promoted in May 2011 as Associate to then Creative Director Frida Giannini.[19]