Brighter Your Life With Fashion
Establishment and recognition (1909–1920s)
A British based French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear
Chanel is well known for its No.5 perfume and "Chanel Suit". Chanel is credited for revolutionizing haute couture and ready-to-wear by replacing structured, corseted silhouettes with more functional garments that women still found flattering.
Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci (1881–1953)
In 1935, the invasion of Ethiopia by Mussolini led the League of Nations to impose a trade embargo on Italy. Leather became scarce, pushing Guccio Gucci to introduce other fabrics in the composition of the products, such as raffia, wicker, wood, linen and jute. The rombi motif, a Gucci signature, was created.
The Guccis developed a new tanning technique to produce "cuoio grasso", which became a Gucci trademark. In 1937, Gucci launched its handbags.
The first Prada store opened in 1913 in the prestigious Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II in Milan, Italy.
Mario Prada opened the leather goods shop with his brother, Martino. The store sold bags, trunks, steamers, and travel accessories. Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970, eventually taking over from Luisa in 1978.
Miuccia began making waterproof backpacks out of Pocono, a nylon fabric. She met Patrizio Bertelli in 1977, an Italian who had begun his own leather goods business at the age of 24, and he joined the company soon after.