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, who stepped down earlier this month, 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
