Gucci

Leather goods company in Florence; the bamboo-handled bag (1947) and the horsebit loafer (1953) are classics.

Guccio Gucci had worked at the Savoy Hotel in London and seen the luggage of wealthy guests before he opened a leather workshop in Florence. During the post-war shortages the workshop made handles of bamboo.

The horsebit loafer and the green-red-green stripe became symbols of an international lifestyle in the 1950s and 1960s. The house had a difficult period in the 1980s but was revived under Tom Ford and is now part of Kering.

The green-red-green web stripe and the double G; Made in Italy on the label.

• Fashion and accessories
• Bags and shoes