The son of a Florentine craftsman, Guccio Gucci was the founder of the amazing brand that is today a world brand, recognized in all countries and synonymous with style and luxury. Guccio founded the company in 1921 after working at the London Savoy hotel, so he knew what the rich and powerful liked and wanted. So, he started offering them these things and the since then, the brand kept growing and growing. Gucci, the person, had a few sons, Rodolfo, Aldo, Ugo, and Vasco. Together, they worked on growing the brand for 30 years. They introduced the world to the logo with the interlocking G’s, the green-red-green webbing, and the bamboo-handled bag which is still in production today.
But, the company had also some lower times. In the 1970s and 1980s, the business expanded to the Far East. They started producing more accessible pieces and kind of lost their reputation as a luxury brand. The brothers who were controlling the company had a lot of issues and ended up in legal courts. However, this was not something that helped them, as the company was almost bankrupt, so a big part of the company was sold to a Bahrain-based investment group.
The 1990s were a huge time of change for Gucci. The reason: a man called Tom Ford. The new CEO was Domenico De Sole who decided to take the company on a different road. Tom Ford left his behind-the-scenes role and became one of the main faces of the company. Tom Ford was the creative director over the next few years, giving the company a hedonistic, sex-fueled vibe, while creating original designs such as the boot-cut velvet suit combined with a cleavage-baring unbuttoned shirt, which is, believe it or not, his signature look as well.
By the year 2000, Gucci had undergone a lot of changes. In 1999 LVMH, a French powerhouse tried to buy Gucci, but their rival, PPR got it and created the Gucci group. Today, the Gucci group is the home of, among others, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga. De Sole and Ford left Gucci in 2004, and Frida Giannini became the creative director of the company.
Frida Giannini liked to preserve the company’s trademarks and traditions: low contrasts being one of them. But she gave them a new and contemporary feel, by sometimes breaking the rules and using flashy contrasts and colors. Since 2006, the menswear line was added to her portfolio as well and she has done an amazing job there as well, at which we will have a look in the album. Since she took over and took Gucci on a more sensual and less sexual and scandalous road, the incoming cash kept growing and growing.
We went through all the collections of menswear since 2005 and chose a piece we liked and thought was representative; let’s look at a visual timeline of what Gucci designed for men from 2005 until now.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
P.S. What do you think? Do you like Gucci? Which creation was your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments below!