1921
A shop in Florence
Gucci opened on Via della Vigna Nuova, drawing on the world of travel and luggage. Leather craft supplied the foundation for the business.
The House & Its Designers
Gucci
Florence · 1921
Travel, equestrian hardware and a constantly reworked archive.
Guccio Gucci founded a leather-goods shop after experience at London’s Savoy hotel. Bamboo, the horsebit and the GG motif later gave the house a set of recognisable elements that different designers could reinterpret.
3 photographs · Reviewed August 2026
Explore the history ↓
01 / The house
The story behind the name.
1947–1960s
The signature objects
The Bamboo bag arrived in 1947, followed by horsebit footwear and the bag later associated with Jackie Kennedy. These designs established a durable archive of shapes and hardware.
1990s–2000s
A different kind of glamour
Tom Ford’s creative direction made sleek, sensual clothing central to Gucci’s revival. Frida Giannini later developed a softer, archive-conscious interpretation.
2015–2025
From maximalism to another reset
Alessandro Michele layered historical references and ornament. Sabato De Sarno followed in 2023; Demna’s appointment in 2025 opened the next creative chapter.
The house in pictures
People, places and objects, with source credits.
02 / The designers
The people who shaped the house.
Selected creative chapters; dates distinguish appointments from runway debuts.
Founder
Guccio Gucci
Established the Florentine leather-goods business.
1994–2004
Tom Ford
Gave Gucci a sharply defined, sensual fashion identity.
2006–2014 · full creative remit
Frida Giannini
Reworked the archive through colour, print and polished accessories.
2015–2022
Alessandro Michele
Built a richly layered world of historical references and decoration.
2023–2025
Sabato De Sarno
Emphasised streamlined clothes and established house accessories.
Appointed 2025
Demna
Arrived after a decade leading Balenciaga.
03 / The bags
A vocabulary in leather and form.
A selection of the house’s designs. Resale photographs illustrate individual examples; size, finish and condition vary.
- Jackie 1961
- A curved shoulder bag with a distinctive piston-style closure.
- Bamboo 1947
- A curved bamboo handle provides the signature of this structured leather bag.
- Horsebit 1955
- A flap bag organised around the house’s double-ring horsebit hardware.
- Dionysus
- A structured flap bag with a textured, double-headed tiger closure.
- GG Marmont
- Matelassé leather and a double-G emblem define this soft bag family.
- Sylvie
- A decorative chain crosses the flap, often alongside the house web stripe.
- Diana
- A bamboo-handled tote reinterpreted with contrasting handle straps.
- Soho Disco
- A compact, rectangular camera bag with an embossed interlocking-G motif.
- Padlock
- A box-shaped bag distinguished by a working padlock-style closure.
- Blondie
- A circular interlocking-G emblem forms the focal point of the design.
- Aphrodite
- A curved shoulder bag with double-G hardware.
- Ophidia
- A bag family that combines GG canvas, web stripes and house hardware.
- Boston Bag
- A rounded zip-top holdall shape used across Gucci’s travel and handbag collections.
- Boat Pochette
- A compact shoulder pouch with a curved, elongated profile.
- Attache
- A curved shoulder bag with a prominent G-shaped hook detail.