Toscana & Chianti News
Luxury
The Treasure of the Florentine Fashion House
To celebrate its 90th birthday, Florence's fashion house opened its own museum in Palazzo della Mercanzia, in Piazza della Signoria, in Florence.
A symbol of art and trades and already home to the Gucci style office until 2009, the historic residence houses the "treasures" of the fashion house over three floors with some of the best pieces in its luxury archive.
"Since my first visit to the archive nine years ago," Frida Giannini told us, the brains behind the museum, "I felt a profound responsibility towards the legacy of the brand. [...] The Gucci Museum not only looks after and celebrates the most significant moments in our history, but also becomes an official token of its origins, development and cultural influence."
On the ground floor, where the great Travel room is reminiscent of London's Savoy Hotel where Guccio Gucci worked as a porter; on the first floor, where the Gucci "Flora World" icon makes a show of itself through designs, floral clothes and wonderful Ginori and Limoges ceramics. There's also the Handbag room, where you can admire the models that made history.
On this floor, you will also find the Precious and Evening rooms as well as the Contemporary Art Space, dedicated to contemporary artists and which currently houses the exhibition of the US artist Bill Viola, Amore e Morte.
That's not all: climb up a few steps and you reach the second floor of the historic building, where the Logomania and Lifestyle and Sport rooms contain golf and tennis bags, flippers, masks and surf boards designed by Tom Ford.
The museum draws to a close in an area reserved to iconic Gucci products purposely designed by Frida Giannini for the city of Florence. 50% of each ticket sale will go into a fund to help the City of Florence to preserve and restore its most important treasures.
Gucci's Chief Executive Officer, Patrizio Di Marco, reminded us that "by opening this museum, the fashion house wanted to give a wonderful gift to the city."
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