Crime families are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, but rarely do we get a peek into their actual business. To this day, the Gucci name is synonymous with class and taste even though just about everyone who had it was as wild as a Maurice Sendak beast, from Papa Guccio on down.
Guccio Gucci was born on March 26, 1881 in Florence, and yes, that’s the name his mother gave him. His full name was actually Guccio Giovanbattista Giacinto Dario Maria Gucci. It must have been a difficult birth.
Guccio Gucci’s father was a leather craftsman, so really, he was just carrying on the family tradition when he opened his first boutique in 1921. He mostly sold travel and recreational accessories, including saddles for horses. Equestrian sports were the hot thing for the rich back then, so he sold leather goods for the jet set and Ed set alike.
