Gucci (or the House of Gucci as it is more properly known) was started in 1921 by Guccio Gucci. It started off as a small leather goods business and rapidly expanded. During the 1950s, it became the choice of the stars, developing a following from Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn, and capitalized on this fame until the 1980s, when, the company in the hands of the sons of Guccio Gucci, the company faced bad business decisions and became nothing more than an airport retailer. When the brothers passed it on to a younger generation, Maurizio Gucci was able to take over the company and steer it back to fame and massive wealth.
Gucci achieves astounding global success and is named the most desirable luxury brand in the world (Nielsen company, 2007). Key house icons are reinvented in a fresh new guise, including Flora, La Pelle Guccissima, the New Jackie, and the New Bamboo. The company’s partnership with UNICEF, first started in 2005, gains traction each year, becoming a major corporate initiative that dovetails seamlessly with the Italian brand’s global reach.
