15 Things You Didn't Know About GUCCI
Fifteen things you didn't know about Gucci. Welcome to A Luxe Calm, the place where future billionaires come to get inspired. Hello, A Luxor's, and welcome back to another fantastic video! Thanks to the huge response to our high-end fashion videos, we've decided to treat you again, this time with a fun look into some of the biggest and best facts related to another well-loved fashion brand: Gucci.
Founded by Gucci Oguchi in 1921 in the Italian city of Florence, this Italian brand has gone from strength to strength to now be regarded as one of the leading names in fashion and leather across the world. Continually listed in Business Week Magazine's top 100 global brands, Gucci holds a value of approximately twelve point four billion dollars and is currently helmed by genius creative director Alessandro Michele. Our team puts their yearly sales in the ballpark of 4.5 billion dollars per year, despite the company's mission statement to target sales of 6 billion. Because we here at A Luxe Calm are dedicated to giving you the insights into only the most luxurious things in life, there was no way that we weren't going to let you know about some of the more fun unknown facts about one of the leading brands in high-end retail and lifestyle.
With no further ado, here are 15 things you didn't know about Gucci.
Number one: The Gucci story is a true rags to riches tale. Alex is all about success and dreaming of achieving big. When it comes to Gucci, the phrase "started from the bottom" couldn't be any more apt. Our visionary Gucci was the son of a humble Italian leather maker and desperate to achieve a life unlike his father's, one more he wouldn't have to grind every single day. Gucci traveled to Florence, where he took on his experience with leather and revolutionized the industry in a bid to outgrow his upbringing. Gucci managed to become one of the most prominent figures in the history of leather design. They say that fashion is a young person industry, but did you know that Gucci was 40 years old when he founded his own brand in Florence? Proving that you really do have to work your way to the top, he worked in the Savoy Hotel for years, finding inspiration in the British nobility that frequented the famous location.
Number two: Gucci is not a stand-alone brand. Gucci is, in fact, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by the French company Kering. The group is a collection of designers that specialize in high fashion, with members including major names like Bottega Veneta, Sergio Rossi, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Stella McCartney—a plethora of fashion giants.
Number three: The trademark snaffle bit embellishment is more than 60 years old. In March 2013, the famous Gucci horsebit loafer celebrated its 60th anniversary. Like fellow luxury brand Hermès, the majority of Gucci's first clients were all of the horse-riding aristocratic fraternity who came to the designer in search of quality fashionable equestrian gear. Though Gucci's appeal has now spread all over the corners of the world, you can still recognize the equestrian roots of the brand with the famous horse bit detail. The other famous trademark, in fact, the official Gucci logo, the GG interlocking, was adopted in the mid-1960s. It represents the initials of the founder, Gucci Oguchi.
Number four: Gucci's now iconic Flora print silk scarf was originally made for Grace Kelly. Unlike the famous Hermès Kelly bag, the scarf is not named after the star. The Hollywood legend and beauty visited Rome's Via Monte Napoleone store in 1965, and the founder's son, Rodolfo Gucci, commissioned artist Vittorio Accornero to create an original silk scarf with a floral pattern as a gift to mark the occasion. The print was given a recent update by brand artist Chris Knight as a part of the Cruise 2015 collection, and iterations of the iconic design can still be found for sale. Many famous people and celebrities have shown their love of the Gucci brand, now perhaps none more high-profile than the former First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis. A true historical fashion icon, Jackie was known for her love of the classic '50s Connie shoulder bag and was photographed so many times with it by her side over the years that it became known as the Jackie O bag. During the '60s, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Sellers, and Samuel Beckett all wore the unisex hobo bag.
Number five: The most expensive item Gucci has ever sold is a platinum and diamond-studded belt that cost a cool two hundred and fifty-six thousand nine hundred and seventy dollars. Although that is fabulous, depending on how you measure success, this Gucci fact may be surpassed by another. That's a lot of money for a Gucci belt, especially considering that their most expensive bag you could purchase in-store is the Jackie crocodile shoulder bag, which is priced at just under forty thousand dollars.
Number six: Tom Ford was artistic director at Gucci. Famed American designer Tom Ford was given the helm of designer at Gucci in 1994, a position he held until 2005. He is widely accredited with turning around Gucci's fortunes after it suffered damages to its reputation as a purveyor of luxury items thanks to internal Gucci family feuds and a flooding of counterfeit goods into the market.
Number seven: The current creative director of Gucci is Alessandro Michele. This is not a surprising fact in itself, but it's important to the brand's story, which he was appointed in January 2015. In his first year, the company saw 12 percent growth in revenue. Gucci is a mainstay of Milan Fashion Week, and in 2016 and 2017, particularly, the brand was killing it in the global luxury fashion stakes. You might say Gucci has gone viral. Alessandro Michele, known for his flamboyant dress, favoring hippy blouses, floral pants, and Indian influences, was a surprise appointment but did work under Tom Ford after having been a senior accessories designer at Fendi. His first task at Gucci was to produce a replacement autumn menswear collection in five days.
Number eight: The bamboo bag was born from wartime deprivation. Interestingly, some of the brand's most iconic designs were only created due to the hardships of World War II and its aftermath. Due to a lack of leather in Italy in the 1940s, Gucci was forced to experiment with other materials like hemp, linen, bamboo, and cane. In 1947, a Gucci artisan created a bag shaped like a saddle with a handle of burnished bamboo cane cut too many years later, and the Gucci burnished cane bag is regarded as one of the most popular and iconic creations of the brand's history. It was also due to material shortage that Gucci started working with canvas, and the signature red and green bands were developed.
Number nine: Every pair of horse bit loafers is handmade in Florence. Other than Louboutin's red sole, probably the world's most famous shoe and the most famous Gucci product, the loafer with a gilded snaffle bit is instantly recognizable as the brand ambassador. It was first created in 1932, and since then, it has been created in practically every color, pattern, and shoe material imaginable for both men's and women's designs. Each pair is made in a workshop in Florence by artisans decked out in a white lab coat with a beautifully tanned leather apron.
Number ten: The horse bit loafer is on display at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The pair of classic black men's loafers was donated by Barbara and Gregory Reynolds in 1984. New York is one of the most amazing cities in the world. If you want to learn more fascinating things about the Big Apple, watch our video "15 Things You Didn't Know About New York." On the subject of museums, in 2011, Gucci opened a museum in Palazzo della Mercanzia in Florence, Italy. It spans 1715 square meters, or 18,500 square feet, and charts a 90-year history of the brand.
Number eleven: Gucci's first New York store was opened in 1953. It was the first-ever Italian luxury goods store to open in the United States. Sadly, it was also the year that Gucci Oguchi passed away, leaving the business to his four sons. Today, there are over 550 Gucci stores open worldwide.
Number twelve: Gucci was ranked the 44th most valuable brand. Each year, Forbes magazine publishes a list of the world's top 100 most valuable brands. With a value of 12 billion dollars, Gucci is in 44th place, one ahead of Starbucks. The list is topped by technology giants Apple, Google, and Microsoft—no surprise there—followed by Coca-Cola. The highest-ranking luxury brand is BMW at number 14, and the highest-ranking fashion brand is Louis Vuitton at number 19, with a valuation of 27.3 billion dollars.
Number thirteen: Gucci has fascinating collaborations. It might seem appropriate that Gucci would collaborate with luxury goods in other niches, but ingenuity has led to some interesting partnerships. The Gucci SW16 collection included a link-up with none other than the much-beloved Peanuts comic character Snoopy. The iconic beagle appeared in a knitted sweater, crewneck, and t-shirt. Another whimsical link-up in this collection was with street graffiti artist Gucci Ghost, aka Troubled Andrew. The artist's signature playful prints made their way onto shoppers, crossbody bags, and a miniskirt. They have also had a number of automotive collaborations down the years, most notably in the 1970s with the upholstery for the Cadillac Seville and the paintwork styling of the AMC Hornet, with the green and red stripe.
Number fourteen: Gucci has been a partner of UNICEF since 2005, promoting high platforms with a social and ethical conscience. Gucci has partnered with UNICEF to donate a percentage of their profits to promoting healthcare, education, clean water, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment around the world. In 2008, when the Barbadian superstar was on top of the world with her hit "Umbrella," they notably entered into a charity fashion campaign with Rihanna to raise awareness and money. The Heart Tattoo campaign had a special limited-edition selection of Gucci products, with 25% of sales being donated to UNICEF.
Number fifteen: Gucci's first runway show was held in Florence in 1981. In more recent news, Gucci has confirmed that it will be showing its pre-spring/summer 2017 collection at the historic location of Westminster Abbey in London, England. The occasion will mark the first time ever that a fashion house has produced a runway show in the hallowed halls of the Abbey, the very same location that staged the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011.
So, what are your thoughts on the Gucci Empire? Are their bags, shoes, belts, and much more something that you aspire to own for your everyday wardrobe? Do you think that high fashion pieces should be a part of everyday life? If you own any Gucci items, what are your favorites? Let us know down in the comments; we'd love to know how you feel.
How about one final bonus fact as a reward for making it all the way with us? Number sixteen: One of Gucci's most recent success stories has been the popularity of their Dionysus bag. Seemingly the fashion item that all celebrities want, it seems you can't turn a tabloid page without seeing a version of the famous bag under the arm of an actress or a socialite, covered in birds, plants, insects, and other unique and interesting designs.
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