Beginning life as a workshop producing riding boots and hand luggage this famous leather goods and fashion accessories firm originated as a leather goods workshop in Florence in 1904. Founded by Guccio Gucci, the first shop opened in 1922. His son, Aldo, moved to New York in 1953 and succeeded in creating new markets for the company's products, attracting the attention of celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor. In the 1960s the double ‘G’ trademark, designed by Aldo's son Paolo, soon became a byword for high fashion in both the USA and Europe. However, following 1977 Paolo's rise to vice-presidency and managing directorships of Gucci Shops Inc. and Gucci Parfums of America, a series of vexatious family litigations and tax irregularities eventually led to the selling of 50 per cent of the company's shares to the Investcorp, an Arab investment bank. After a further period of family in-fighting during the 1980s the Guccis finally lost control of the company to Investcorp in 1994. Since then there has been significant investment in design and advertising and the company name has again been successful in the international market place.

A Dictionary of Modern Design. Copyright © 2004, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.