Prada 1913 - 1989

The company was opened in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as a leather goods shop called Prada Brothers in Milan, Italy. Initially, the shop sold leather goods and imported English steamer trunks and handbags. Mario Prada did not believe that women should have a role in business, and so he prevented female family members from entering into his brand. Ironically, Mario's son had no interest in running the business, so his daughter Luisa Prada took the helm of Prada as his successor, and ran it for almost twenty years. Her own daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970 and eventually took it over for her mother in 1978. Miuccia began making waterproof backpacks out of Pocone. She met Patrizio Bertelli in 1977, an Italian boy who had begun his own leather goods business at the age of 17, and he joined the company soon after. He advised Miuccia to discontinue importing English goods and to change the existing luggage styles.
Miuccia inherited the company in 1978 by which time sales were up to U.S. $450,000. With Bertelli alongside her as business manager, Miuccia was allowed time to use her creativity for design. She released her first set of backpacks and totes in 1979. They were made out of a tough military spec black nylon that her grandfather had used as coverings for steamer trunks. Initial success was not instant, as they were hard to sell due to the lack of advertising and high-prices, but the lines became her first commercial hit.
Next, Miuccia and Bertelli sought out wholesale accounts for the bags in upscale department stores and boutiques worldwide. In 1983, Prada opened a second boutique in Milan reminiscent to the original shop, but with a sleek and modern contrast to it. The next year, Prada released its definitive black nylon tote. That same year, Prada expanded throughout Europe by opening within major shopping districts within Paris, Florence, Madrid and New York City. A shoe line was also released in 1984. In 1985, Miuccia released the "classic Prada handbag" that became an overnight sensation. Although practical and sturdy, its sleek lines and craftsmanship exuded an offhand aura of luxury that has become the Prada signature. In 1987, Miuccia and Bertelli got married. Prada launched its woman's ready-to-wear collection in 1989, and the designs became well known for their dropped waistlines and narrow belts. Prada's popularity skyrocketed when the fashion world took notice of its clean lines, rich fabrics, and basic colors. The logo for the label tried to market its lack of prestigious appeal, including the apparel, was its image of "anti-status" or "reverse snobbery."

Gucci 1920s-1950s

1920's:
Guccio Gucci (the founder of Gucci) opened a leather goods and small luggage store in Florance.Though his vision for his new found brand was inspired by London,and the refined aesthetic of English nobility he had witnessed, his goal on returning to Italy was to ally this classy sensibility with the unique skills of Italy.
1930's:
Within a few years, Gucci enjoyed such a success the sophisticated international clientele on vacation in Florence thronged to Gucci’s bottega, seeking the equestrian inspired collection of trunks, gloves, shoes, trunks and belts. Many of Gucci's Italian clients were local horse-riding aristocrats, and their demand for riding gear led Gucci to develop its unique Horse bit icon - a symbol of the fashion house and its increasingly innovative design aesthetic.
1940's:
Faced with a shortage of foreign supplies during the difficult years of Fascist dictatorship in Italy, Gucci began experimenting with abnormal luxury materials, like linen, jute and hemp. One of its artisan's most subtle innovations was burnishing cane to create the handle of the new Bamboo Bag. Its curvy side was inspired by the shape of a saddle. An amazing example of “necessity as the mother of invention”, the bamboo became the first of Gucci's many iconic products. A favorite of royalty and celebrities alike, the bag with burnished handle is still an outstanding favorite today.
1950's:
During the Fifties, Gucci again found equestrian inspiration with its trademark green-red-green web stripe, derived from a traditional saddle girth. It became an instant success and an instantly recognizable hallmark of the brand. When he opened stores in Milan and New York, Gucci started to build its global presence as a symbol of modern luxury.

Fashion

To some people, fashion is just a magazine, an advertisement, a commercial. But to some, it is their whole life. Their work, their interests, their life. It is their entertainment, their studies, their dreams. I hope that all those people who don't have fashion in their lives have something else, because i have the best thing in the world.