The Rise Of Gucci

Everyone is Gucci obsessed at the moment. They have had a new lease of life in recent years, and the phenomenon around the brand has grown.  Not only are we all lusting over the brand, but they have had a huge influence on inspiring countless current fashion trends such as the backless loafers.

Lets start with a brief look into the history of the brand. Gucci is the biggest selling Italian luxury fashion brand, founded in 1921 in Florence. In the 19th century, Gucci was one of the most successful luxury leather goods and clothing manufacturers, known for their finely crafted leather goods from handbags to the iconic loafers, which are still symbolic of Gucci today. The signature double-G interlocking symbol we all resonate with the brand today, is one of the most memorable and recognisable fashion symbols in the world. After expanding to New York City, movie stars jumped into the Gucci brand, and turned it into an international status symbol.

So where did this Gucci phenomenon come from?

We have Alessandro Michele to thank for that. The Italian fashion designer became the creative director for Gucci in 2015 and it was him who has paved the new direction for Gucci in recent years, repositioning Gucci in the luxury fashion market shaping it's new image. He worked for Fendi as an accessories designer before moving to Gucci in 2004 and working his way up over 12 years to become creative director for the brand in January 2015. Michele romanticised the brand, using embroidery, bright colours and evolving some of the iconic Gucci products. He has gifted Gucci a new lease of life and created an even stronger brand image for the brand. When you think of Gucci, we now think of bright clashing colours, detailed embroidery and bold animal prints. Gucci's catwalk shows are always one's that I always tune into. Michele makes fashion fun, exciting, daring and definitively eccentric with all his innovate catwalk shows.

 Jumper H&M / Mom Jeans Zara / Bag M&S / Shoes River Island / Necklace New Look

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KEY PIECES

Let's talk about key pieces...

The Gucci Loafers

I for one, love the Gucci loafers. So beautiful and unique, I wish I could afford them all. These loafers were originally designed by Gucci for comfort and practicality in the 1900's, and have now been evolved by Michele, turning them into a huge trend. The classic Gucci style loafer has evolved, with 2016 seeing the backless loafer proving most popular amongst the fashion crowd. The kangaroo fur lined loafer style are a love it or hate it piece, but none the less it got a lot of people talking. Then there is the embroidered loafer that has been spotted on everyone from Robbie Williams, to Gigi Hadid. You only have to google 'celebs wearing Gucci loafers' to be met with hundred's of photo's of every celebrity wearing these Gucci loafers.

There are now countless dupes of these styles on the high street, like the one's I am wearing from River Island. I know the controversy surrounding 'dupes' are a hot topic. Technically someone else's design has been copied, a frustrating fate for luxury designers. But on the other hand, I think it is also a positive for designers. It will push them to evolve even more and continue to innovate with each collection they make. The speed of fast fashion and it's tendency to copy luxury designers isn't going to change any time soon, so it takes designers like Michele with a real flare to push the boundaries and stay ahead.

Since not all of us can afford the Gucci price tag, I have shared some amazing dupes of the loafers that are out there at the moment along with the real deal below, allowing us to buy into the brand, without the huge price tag.

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Shop The Dupes

The Gucci Logo Tee 

Logo tee's in general are extremely popular right now, but every It girl, blogger and their dog seem to have this t-shirt. There is a constant stream of seeing this now iconic T-shirt printed with the Gucci logo everywhere on social media at the moment, especially with recent fashion week's taking place. I do personally love the top but when everyone else has it, even if I had the money spare to spend £320 on a t-shirt, I don't think I would buy it. I think it's clearly a cash cow for them, an extremely commercial piece that they can mass produce and have a low price point allowing more people to buy into the brand. What is really key about this top and probably the idea behind it is that it has definitely created further brand awareness for Gucci, especially into more mainstream street-style fashion, clever Michele.

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The Gucci Belt

The Gucci belt has become an affordable luxury accessory. Using the renowned interlocking G logo, the symbolic belt is a must-have at the moment. This statement belt gives any outfit a luxury feel and has become a blogger favourite. Seen on the likes of Kendall Jenner and Rosie Huntington Whitley, there probably isn't a girl in the world that would love to have this in their wardrobe.

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I could talk about Gucci all day, but I don't want this post to become a mini dissertation so I think I will round it up here. Alessandro Michelle has truly given Gucci a new lease of life, long may he continue to innovate and shape the world of Gucci and inspire fashion trends around the globe. What a man. I am excited to see what he does next.

Will you be buying into the world of Gucci with the real deal? Or maybe a dupe for now?

Shop Gucci's current collection here.

See Gucci's recent AW17 catwalk show collection here.