Decadent, opulent, but also culturally focused and not devoid of irony... The Gucci aesthetic is one of the most distinctive in the world. Shaped by Alessandro Michele since 2015, the image of the Florentine house finds its codes deep in its heritage, almost a hundred years old. It was in 1921 that Guccio Gucci founded his eponymous label. A former doorman at the Savoy Hotel (London), the young man had plenty of time to admire the luggage of the establishment's wealthy clients. Back in Italy and after a stint with the trunk maker Franzy, he set up his leather goods business. At that time, the Gucci house produced for a clientele fond of horse riding. A liability of which there are still some emblems today, such as the horse bit, present on numerous creations such as the iconic Jordan moccasin. Little by little, Guccio Gucci introduced other pieces, from luggage to gloves to bags. However, the Second World War and the embargo imposed on leather made him turn to cotton. Never mind ! Necessity is the mother of creativity and it was at that moment that the Double G monogram and the Web Band were born, still essential symbols of the brand today. When the patriarch died in 1953, his three sons Aldo, Vasco and Rodolfo took over the reins of the business. Together, they contribute to the international influence of the brand, which is gradually becoming an l'accessoire juggernaut. But it was not until the beginning of the 1990s that ready-to- porter (launched in 1981) took off. In 1990, Tom Ford , a young unknown Texan designer, took up his position as Design Director of this category. Four years later, he was promoted to Creative Director. Under his leadership, Gucci became synonymous with sexy. Initiator of the porno chic wave, the designer made the Florentine house a player at the forefront of the movement. When he left office ten years later, the label was one of the most profitable (and one of the most famous) in the world. This is when Frida Giannini enters the scene. More discreet, more subdued, elle offers more sophisticated but still feminine fashion. However, in 2014, sales stagnated. Ousted, Frida Giannini is replaced by an illustrious unknown: Alessandro Michele. A newcomer in the eyes of the public, the Roman designer is however far from being a beginner. Trained at the Accademia di Costume e Moda in the Italian capital, the designer then worked for Les Copains as well as Fendi before joining the ranks of Gucci in 2002 under the aegis of Tom Ford as designer of handbags. hand. A connoisseur of the brand, its DNA and its aesthetic, he became its providential man by designing a first men's collection in five days and creating its women's counterpart in just a few weeks. Immediate success. Under his leadership Gucci regains its former appeal and becomes the height of desirability, all generations combined. His peers were not mistaken and at the end of 2015, he was awarded the International Designer Award at the British Fashion Awards before receiving the International Award at the CFDA Awards the following year. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance but also by dandyism and a certain conception of punk, it imposes not only a new image but also new channels of thought: no more gendered parades, now Gucci shows mixed. Also no more fur, Gucci becomes cruelty-free. An intelligent rewriting of the codes whose good fortune does not seem to end any time soon.
