The Captivating True Story Behind the House of Gucci

As one of the most well known fashion brands in the world-Gucci and its house worth is estimated at approximately $12 billion dollars. Even more interesting than the glamorous, retro-chic aesthetic of their fashion, is the brand's true and compelling history, which is a tale of family, business, drama, and even murder.

Guccio Gucci, the founder of this iconic brand, was born March 26. 1881 into a family that made straw hats. It was assumed at this time that he would continue his family's legacy in doing this when he grew up. This plan fell apart, however, when the family business went bankrupt and fell apart. Not long after, Guccio was driven out of his house by his father. Just 17 years old at the time, Guccio used this as an opportunity to leave Italy and went to London-where he would find work at the Savoy Hotel.

As the first hotel with a working elevator, this was viewed as a prestigious job for someone in Guccio's inexperienced position to acquire. There, he worked a variety of jobs-including as a dishwasher, a bag boy, and an elevator attendant-and cites his time here as his first look at how the truly well-endowed lived. 

As a bag boy, he had his first experience gaining insight into how luggage equated to and was respected as a luxury in the world of the excessively wealthy aristocrats that stayed here, noticing that these items were less about utility and more regarded as status symbols. It was there that this soon-to-be cunning young businessman first recognized the opportunity to enter this world commercially. 

After a few years working at the hotel, Guccio saved up enough money to return to Florence and start a new life. After settling there, he wed Aida Calvelli-a dressmaker-and the two started a family, having their first son,  Aldo, in 1905. This family life was disrupted when he was called to serve in World War 1, much to his chagrin. He would serve as an officer there for several years before returning home to his family. 

After the war, Guccio returned to Italy, where he found work in the struggling post-war economy with a company that specialized in making high quality leather goods. There, he moved up quickly and even opened up his own store. This career and the knowledge he gained from it would prove more beneficial to Guccio in the coming years than he would have ever guessed.

A few years later in 1921, and with the blessing of his wife, Guccio opened his own store in Florence. He called this shop Valegerio Guccio Gucci, which was later shortened to Gucci. There, he sold high quality leather luggage and handbags, first, sourcing them from suppliers on credit, then, opening his own workshop to design them himself.  

Over the course of his first few years in business, Guccio struggled. He wasn't able to turn a profit. Less than forgiving of this, the suppliers he was using in his early days began demanding payment before he could afford to make it. Coming to terms with this failure, he soon shared with his family that he could no longer afford to keep the shop open and had no choice but to close down.

Lucky for him, Guccio’s future son-in-law offered to lend Guccio the savings that he put aside to marry his daughter, Grimalda, to keep the store open. Humbly, Guccio accepted, and, from there, turned his business around. Within a few short months, he was able to pay back this loan in full, then went on to hire a team of artisans to produce some of the highest quality leather goods in the business, making Gucci a top name in the industry not long after.

As his business grew, Guccio's three son's ambitions did too. This was especially apparent in his eldest, Aldo, who-at this time and without his father's permission-made the decision to travel across Europe in search for the perfect place for them to expand. When asked, Guccio was against this idea, claiming it was too risky and expensive. This wouldn't stop him, however. Aldo secured a loan from a bank on his own, using the company's name, and took off without his father's knowledge. 

The perfect second location, Aldo's search concluded, would be in Rome. Despite his initial opposition, Guccio caved and came around to agree with this. The company opened up their second location here, which proved to be a valuable investment when World War 2 began, as it kept them afloat while the war shut down most of Europe. 

After proving able to weather the war, the family confidently secured another loan and opened their third location in Milan in the year 1950. Now a success across Italy, Guccio's 3 sons, Aldo, Radiolfo, and Vasco, aspirations increased again. Now, the 3 brothers went behind their father's back yet again, this time traveling to America in search for a suitable location to expand into New York City. They found what they were looking for at 725 5th Ave.

Informing their father via telegram of this decision as well as their whereabouts, Guccio was originally furious. He did though, again, eventually, come around and the family purchased their first location in America. Again, proving a savvy business decision coming from his son's, this opening of this store brought Gucci international recognition as the first Italian fashion brand to open a store in New York City, and is still a Gucci location today. 

Now, fans of the brand celebrated Gucci's success far and wide, with style icons from Jackie Kennedy to the Queen of England donning his logo. Unfortunately, this glory wouldn't be long-lived for the man who built this brand from the ground up. Guccio would die from a heart attack just one year after the opening of their New York location.

 Unfortunately, only 1 year after opening the store in New York, Guccio would drop dead from a heart attack. In his will, he left the brand to his sons-Aldo, Radolfo, and Vasco-leaving his daughter Grimalda. This was unexpected and caused some drama within the family, especially considering her husband was the one that lent him the money to keep his first store open when he faced financial difficulties in the beginning. The couple tried to fight this decision legally, but were unsuccessful in this. 

Nonetheless, now in full control of the company, the 3 brothers worked to strategize how they could each use their strengths to optimize the business' capacity. Their deliberations resulted in Aldo handling international expansion efforts, Radolfo would focus on running their store in Milan, and Vasco would run their factory in Florence. 

With this new strategy in place, Gucci grew rapidly becoming a household name among the elites. Then, in the 1960's, the brand and their new successful style of shoes-loafers-became widely recognized among all types of people. 

Over the next few years, Gucci continued to expand, going from 4 to 12 storefronts. Along with this, they expanded their product line, as well, to include not just leather made materials, but also perfume and clothing. Now viewed as untouchable to its competition, Gucci's efforts at expansion would be followed again with mortality in the family. This time, Vasco would fall victim to cancer just 2 years after the expansion of their new lines. 

With no children of his own, Vasco's stake in this highly profitable organization would go to a woman-a first for them-his wife Maria. Not wanting to intrude on the family business she had never been a decision maker in-Maria agreed to sell her rights to the other brothers. Aldo and Radolfo would now split the company 50/50. 

Later, Aldo followed, splitting his shares while still alive. He gave each of his sons-Giorgio, Paulo, and Roberto 10% stake in the business, to prepare the next generation of Gucci men. This caused resentment in Radolfo's family, however, as his only son Maurizio was refused this courtesy. 

Despite only owning a small percentage of the company collectively, Giorgio and Paulo saw this acquisition as an opportunity to rebel against their father. First, Giorgio secretly opened up his own Gucci storefront. Then, Paulo began his own label, and-in doing so-outed his father for tax evasion. 

In 1953, the family faced another death. Radolfo passed away, finally leaving Maurizio with half of the company. He used his new authority to kick Aldo out-leaving Gucci to the next generation. This wasn't enough for Maurizio, though, and he was soon on the search for a loan to buy out Aldo's sons, becoming the sole owner of the brand. 

It took some time, as, by then, the family had gained a reputation for engaging in drama, but Maurizio was able to secure a loan eventually for this buyout from a company called Investcorp. The buyout was successful, leaving Marurizio and Investcorp the owners of Gucci. As the company's decision maker, Maurizio soon proved subpar. 

His first several years in the driver's seat, he lost the company nearly $30 million each year. This was hardly what Maurizio had promised the company could expect of their investment. They did, however, reluctantly, agree to save the company from the financial ruin that his poor leadership led to. This deal, though, would only be made under the circumstance that Maurizio would leave the company. With no other option, he agreed.

Under the guidance of, now sole owner, Investcorp, the company hired Tom Ford as creative director in 1990. His vision is responsible for establishing the glamorous aesthetic, still seen today from this hot brand, that restored the Gucci name to its former glory after Maurizio's reign. 

In 1995, 2 years after Investcorp kicked Maurizio out of the company, Maurizio’s body was found dead outside his office in Milan. It would later be discovered that his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani, was responsible for his murder. After years of drama between the two since they'd split, she found out that he was involved with another woman. From there, she hired a hitman, and the rest is history-as is Maurizio. 

Gucci’s story is one of humble beginnings, drama, and glamor, that has outlived multiple wars, murder, bankruptcies, and family feuds. Its rich history is a vital aspect in making the company the Italian fashion superstar it still is today. If you'd like to see more on this topic, The 2022 film House of Gucci served an entertaining portrayal of some of these events as well.