Gucci, the sublime Tuscan perfumery
Founded in 1921, the Italian leather goods house opened its first store in its native Italy. Success was so rapid that Gucci decided to expand the house's horizons to underwear and shoes. Indeed, Gucci offered an entire leather collection, which remained its Achilles' heel in the early years of the house's existence. It quickly underwent a transformation after the copper shortage that occurred during Mussolini's fascist dictatorship. It introduced its first bags, mainly made of wild boar and bamboo, at the end of World War II. The Italian designer died in 1953, leaving his four sons to take over and transform the Italian house. From the early 1960s, the company internationalized into the American and Asian markets. The house continued to grow in the haute couture model despite a shareholder battle that took place during the 1990s, and Gucci remains a reference as it is ranked second behind LVMH in the global luxury sector. During the 2000s, the Italian company decided it would no longer use fur for the creation of Gucci clothing.