Born 1881 in Florence, Tuscany, Italian businessman and fashion designer Guccio Gucci founded the House of Gucci as a small family-owned leather shop in 1921. He began selling saddles, leather bags and other accessories to horsemen in the 1920s.
In 1938, Gucci expanded his business to a second location in Rome at the insistence of his son Aldo. His one-man business eventually turned into a family business when his sons joined the company. Aldo, the eldest son who joined in 1925, proved particularly innovative in developing new products, including the company’s first pigskin bag.
In 1947, responding to post-war material scarcity, Gucci created the Bamboo Bag, using lightweight bamboo for handles, which became one of the brand’s signature designs.
In 1951, Gucci opened their store in Milan. He wanted to keep the business small, and for nearly the entirety of his life, the company remained only in Italy. Two weeks before Guccio Gucci’s death, the New York Gucci boutique was opened by his sons Aldo, Rodolfo, and Vasco.
Gucci died in 1953 in Milan. After his death, the business was left to his four remaining sons. With the change in leadership the Gucci brand expanded to opening international locations and a diversification of product line. Here are some handbags designed by Gucci during the 1950s and 1960s.
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| Model in a 1958 Packard Hawk, wearing a dress by David Goodstein, necklace by Verdura, travel handbag by Gucci, photo by Karen Radkai, 1958 |
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| Anne St. Marie in classic tweed suit with a birchbark pattern of black, beige and taupe by Davidow, horseblanket plaid bag by Gucci, brown beaver-felt toque by Sally Victor, photo by Henry Clarke, Vogue, August 1, 1955 |
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| Barbara Mullen in coat of black-dyed Southwest-African Persian lamb with UMPA black mink collar by Fredrica, hat by Emme, bag by Gucci, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, October 1, 1955 |
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| Joan Romano in coat of black-dyed Alaska sealskin with natural Labrador otter collar by Fredrica, casque hat by Emme, Gucci bag, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, October 1, 1955 |
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| Sunny Harnett in Glen Plaid tunic jacket over a pleated dress by Larry Aldrich, Gucci bag, diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels, Kislav gloves, photo by Clifford Coffin, Vogue, August 1, 1955 |
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