Gucci is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, accessories, home decoration, fragrances and cosmetics.

Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci (1881–1953) in Florence, Tuscany. Aldo, his son, became increasingly involved in the family company since he started working there in 1925. He convinced his father to grow by opening a new shop in Rome, 21 Via Condotti, in 1938, and launched more Gucci accessories (gloves, belts, wallets, keychains). During World War II, the artisans of Gucci worked on making boots for the Italian infantry.

Under the direction of Aldo, Gucci became a worldwide-known brand, an icon of the Italian Dolce Vita period. In November 1953, Gucci opened its first US store on 5th Avenue and 58th Street in New York. A second NY shop opened in the Saint Regis Hotel in 1960, and a third on 5th Avenue and 54th Street in 1973, leading the locals to call this NY area “Gucci City”. In March 1963, Gucci opened its first French store near Place Vendôme in Paris. The breakthrough in the United States led to its global development in Asia (Tokyo opening in 1972, Hong Kong in 1974) and the Middle East.

Following family feuds during the 1980s, the Gucci family was entirely ousted from the capital of the company by 1993. In 1994, Tom Ford was named creative director of Gucci. In 1999, the company was acquired by the French luxury concern Kering.