Fashion Icons & Powerhouses Encyclopedia. Gucci.

It was Guccio Gucci, a young Florentine impressed by luxury who, in 1920, opened a shop in his hometown based on the artisan treatment of leather. The good workmanship in the finishes and the quality of the materials used led to the inevitable success of that small company whose hallmarks were bags, tricolor belts and the now mythical moccasins.

Shortly after, and with the help of three of his sons –Aldo, Vasco and Rodolfo–, Guccio began the expansion of the company by opening branches in Milan and Rome, in addition to the store they already owned in Florence, specifically in Via della Vigna New. After the end of the Second World War, with the world and the economy waking up, the brand began its internationalization by establishing a branch in New York. Back then, in the 1950s and 1960s, the Hollywood jet set and star system went wild with the G for Gucci, helping to make the brand a symbol of global luxury.

However, in the 1980s, some internal family conflicts and depersonalized expansion undermined Gucci's credibility, losing influence and economic capital. When Rodolfo, one of Guccio's sons and responsible for the globalization of his logo, died in 1983, his son Maurizio took over the management of the company. Before we move on, we need to emphasize one important fact. In 1989, Dawn Mellow, director of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York, landed on the company and became a major player in regaining its lost glory.

Maurizio sold Gucci to Investcorp shortly before he died in a murder made by his wife. It was 1993. It was the melody of all who chose the young and unknown Tom Ford at the time and caused one of the greatest revolutions in fashion history.

With the support of Domenico de Sole of the United States, he pushed forward with a new paradigm looking back on New York in the 1970s. New York was "a big city of tourism and was headquartered in the mythical Studio 54." His famous Fall / Winter 1995 collection of hip skimming velvet pants, silk blouses and plunging necklines banned the then-popular grunge and minimalist aesthetics. When Madonna was draped at the 95th MTV Music Awards, Tom Ford's name flew around with just the look described.