Guccio Gucci founded 'The House of Gucci' in Florence in 1921 inspired by the aesthetic of English nobility and the fashion of the elite of London at the time. It originated at an equestrian and luggage shop as many of his local clientele were horseriding aristocrats who wanted fashionable riding gear.

He drew his inspirations from his time working in London's Savoy Hotel as an elevator operator rubbing shoulders with London's elite from Marilyn Monroe to Winston Churchill.

Drawing on the equestrian riding gear, it's easy to see how motifs such as the horsebit became part of the design seen throughout his pieces. When leather was sparse after the second world war, he experimented with other materials such as bamboo which is also a motif that remains to this day. The Gucci Bamboo handle bag was an instant success with many famous women including Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor and, later, Princess Diana.

In the 1930’s WW2-imposed rations on materials didn’t stop Gucci. He began to explore alternative materials such as hemp and cotton and the iconic GG canvas was first debuted on a series of suitcases.

The Gucci Jackie-O was first introduced as a simple no-name tote however after Jackie Kennedy (formerly Onassis) was pictured with the tote, the demand for it soared and it was renamed the Jackie-O tote.

In 2015, Alessandro Michele was appointed the creative director for the brand and he quickly introduced the now classic Dionysus - a sophisticated, structured style to rival the Chanel Boy Bag.

At the time of writing today Gucci describes itself as 'influential, innovative and progressive' they have stores across the globe in over 600 stores and continue to represent the pinnacle of Italian craftsmanship.