In , a pioneer if Italian design in the U. Guccio Gucci died at age 72, 15 days after the New York store opening. The Gucci loafer with metal horsebit was created that year and in it would be displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, becoming part of the permanent collection.
In , the Flora scarf print was designed for Princess Grace of Monaco. The pattern has become iconic for Gucci, revisited by creative directors Frida Giannini and, most recently by Alessandro Michele in his Aria collection.
Around this time, the brand hit its fashion stride. A store dedicated to clothing opened at Fifth Avenue in New York, while Fifth Avenue focused on shoes, bags, luggage and accessories. In , Gucci showed ready-to-wear for the first time at the Sala Bianca in Florence, playing heavily on the Flora print. In , leadership of the company passed on to Rodolfo Gucci and the following year to his son Maurizio, who was the first to dream of the relaunch the family brand, which had lost its exclusivity and luster, as it became associated with cheap duty-free bags.
In , Maurizio Gucci teamed with Bahrain-based investment banking and asset management company Investcorp, which purchased 50 percent of Gucci shares from the family — Aldo was the last to accept to sell. In Ford was appointed creative director. His first collection, for fall , focused on jet-set glamour and was a critical and commercial success, putting the label back at the forefront of fashion.
De Sole and Ford had cried foul, igniting what was one of the most dramatic corporate fashion battles of the 20th century. That move would have been perfectly legal in the Netherlands, where Gucci was listed. The two companies fought bitterly in the Dutch courts — and in the international press — and swapped lawsuits and vitriol on an almost daily basis. Ultimately, PPR won full control over Gucci. Tensions built between the new management and Ford and De Sole, who eventually left the company in after trying — and failing — to strike a deal for management, financial and creative independence.
During the celebration for the 70th anniversary of its Roman store, the cruise collection show was live-streamed on the website. In , the Singapore Paragon Gucci store reopened, and the city-state celebrated Giannini with a special orchid, the Paravanda Frida.
Giannini proposed clothes with a functional chic and a hefty dose of the essential house glamour. In December , following a slowdown in sales, di Marco exited the company, followed a month later by Giannini. The decade that followed was a golden era for Gucci, thanks to celebrities who began proudly sporting its designs. The resulting print became known as Flora, a Gucci signature that features 43 types of flowers, plants and insects, depicted through a vivid array of 37 colors.
The Gucci brothers were constantly fighting—even though the brand debuted their first ready-to-wear collection in But it was time to revive Gucci and that began with the appointment of Dawn Mello as creative director. Sadly, much of the other designs were not well-received, and Mello returned to her cushy role at Bergdorfs in As his star rose, Ford brought with him the next generation of fashion masterminds, including Carine as his go-to stylist and Mario Testino as his preferred photographer.
Together, the trio revolutionized high fashion advertising with plenty of scandalous and skin-baring images. But following a tussle with Pinault Printemps Redoute the agency that purchased Gucci in , Ford decided it was time to move on.
She lasted only two unremarkable seasons before leaving the brand in Her vacancy left room for Frida Giannini to step into the spotlight. She had been with Gucci since , when she was hired at the ripe age of 24 to become the director of handbags—a sector that was a huge cash cow for Gucci. She seemed to be in constant revival mode, revamping the iconic Flora print, putting her signature on the red and green stripe and refreshing the Bamboo Bag.
In , the partners welcomed a daughter, Greta, and eventually got married two years later. In fact, Alessandro Michele can be spotted in the film, working as an associate director alongside his predecessor—though he is nearly camouflaged in a low-key black suit.
But her collections eventually became mundane, so amid waning sales and lackluster reviews, she was laid off. A few days later, di Marco was also ousted.
When Gucci announced that Michele would be taking over in , it seemed as if he had been plucked from obscurity for such an important role. However, he had been working with the company for over 12 years and was ready to jump right in. One month later, his first womenswear collection bowed on the Milan runway and was instantly dubbed a smash success. In the four years since stepping up as creative director, Michele has turned Gucci into a maximalist dream with collections that seem to seep from his imagination onto an intricately designed runway.
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