First of Its Kind, Last of Its Kind tells the story of an exceptional accessory and the archival piece that inspired it.
As a teenager in the late 1890s, Guccio Gucci traveled from Florence to London, where he soon began to work as a porter at the Savoy hotel. Inspired by the memory of the establishment’s stylish international guests, in 1921 he opened a leather goods and luggage atelier on Florence’s Via della Vigna Nuova. Gucci found success by combining Tuscan craftsmanship with English elegance; by midcentury, the house had also become known for its equestrian motifs: Handbags in the shape of saddles were introduced in the late 1940s, and Guccio’s son Aldo incorporated horse bit hardware for his debut loafer collection in 1953. Within a decade or so, the horse bit emblem adorned belts, jewelry, watches, silks and ready-to-wear. In 1973, the brand released its now-iconic bucket bag, featuring a horse bit clasp inspired by a bridle at the center of its suede-and-leather silhouette, with a buckle on the shoulder strap in the shape of a stirrup.
Now the former creative director Sabato De Sarno, 41, has resurrected that archival creation with his new Gucci 73 bag. Made from Cuoio di Toscana leather, it comes in a handful of colors and prints, including olive green, ivory and zebra. Although the carryall is instantly identifiable by its hardware alone, it feels as new as it did a half-century ago.
Digital tech: Max Bernetz. Set designer’s assistant: Frida Fitter
