Besides being one of the most expensive and also the most popular luxury fashion brands, do you know where Gucci products are made or if they are all made from one location? And if they are made in different locations, what impact this has on the products’ quality and distribution.
This article helps you find answers to these questions.
But before we look at the location details, a simple look at Gucci’s basics reveals that the House of Gucci which was founded in 1921 in Florence, Italy, and whose current success is attributed to the work of the current creative design director, Alessandro Michele, is actually currently owned by a renowned French Luxury Group, Kering. What’s interesting about Kering is that in addition to owning Gucci, Kering’s proprietor Francois Pinault is also the owner of the other luxury brands, namely, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga.
The other interesting fact is that Michele, the creative designer, has previously worked with other big brands besides Fendi and Tom Ford. This and the fact that she’s taken up several creative roles in the past are the reasons for the current successes of the brand.
With these basics out of the way, let’s take a look at the location(s) that Gucci products are made.
Where are Gucci products made?
Essentially, all the top fashion designers will first evaluate a number of factors before they settle on their primary manufacturing shop, whether they are coming up with clothing lines or apparel accessories.
This decision is also often guided by more than the prices on the sticker, with the cost of fashion labor, the quality of the designs’ craftsmanship, custom fees, shipping fees, contract negotiations, transparency, and language barriers, among other factors influencing the location they choose to run their primary operations.
For the large luxury brands and fashion houses, product manufacturing doesn’t take place in one location, but it’s decentralized, and there are manufacturing plants in multiple locations, each with dedicated craftsman liaisons, project management teams, as well as adequate financial resources that allow them to run smoothly.
And on top of ensuring that their products match premium quality standards, they also pay a lot of attention to the raw materials used to create the products. This is because of the high standards they’ve set for themselves, and also because their customers expect only the best quality, something that they pay for gladly.
So, where are Gucci products made?
Well, like other leading luxury brands, Gucci has more than one manufacturing plant for its products.
Gucci has dedicated its sacred Italian territory to the production of its noble collection of watches. These watches are, however, made in Switzerland, although most of their operations are run from the House of Gucci in Switzerland. Most of the other labels are also made in Italy.
And though you may have heard that some of the products sold by Gucci are made in Asia besides the main European countries, it’s worth noting that because of the high standards that must be matched as is expected of the brand, all the handmade Gucci goods are made in Europe, and these are often the finest quality products.
In an article published by the New York Times in 2007, Gucci is, unfortunately, one of the big companies that have their goods manufactured by illegal Chinese laborers in Italy.
These products are made down in the Tuscan town of Prato, located outside Florence. What you may not know is that Prato is the leading center for the production of leather goods by and for the top luxury brands. As a result and with the information about the use of illegal Chinese for labor, Prato boasts the second-largest Chinese population across Europe. Most of the factories throughout Prato are owned by Chinese businessmen, and unfortunately, they pay their laborers really low wages. In Gucci’s revised Code of Ethics, however, the company reaffirms their commitment to respecting human rights, but not just for their employees but also for the rest of their workforce working in their supply chains, contributing to their value creation processes and success.
Note that because of the use of factories run and owned by Chinese businessmen in Prato, the company is often taking measures to ensure that their products have the Made in Italy label and not a Made in China label.
That said, there are reports that indicate that some of Gucci’s products may be made in Bangladesh as well.
Gucci, however, denies these allegations noting that all their goods are 100% produced in Italy, where they have at least 3,000 subcontracted suppliers, which means that it might be unclear and even impossible for them to uphold workers’ rights in the workplaces. Also, the company admits that in previous cases, Gucci found that some of their products, like the employees’ uniforms, were made in Turkey.
How are Gucci products made??
The popularity and the high price tag attached to Gucci products is one of the things that stands out from this brand. But it is not all, and as it turns out, Gucci is able to maintain its high luxury brand standards through the use of the best quality products.
Some of the materials used include exotic skins, the process of different materials using bamboo bending, and overall highly efficient systems that involve the works of the most skilled persons showing a high level of finesse in their craft. Bamboo is used for most bag handles, and the perfect shape for the bamboo is attained through a process known as Claudio bamboo bending.
The production processes take place in impressive, state-of-the-art laboratory-Esque studios, which ensure that the noble skins and the handmade fabrics are processed under the best and the right conditions.
The handmade fabrics are, for example, processed using the wooden loom, with their prototyping studios ensuring that they have the best possible products on the market.
In other words, the most common materials used to make Gucci products include wooden looms and exotic skins from ostriches, crocodiles, pythons, and anacondas, also called noble skins, among other proprietary materials.
In 2017, Gucci made the decision to cut the use of independent suppliers down to 40% (from 75%), specifically for the production of their leather goods. This resulted in reduced lead time. This decision to move things in-house was also encouraged by the need to gain more production control and stabilization of the production process.
Who is the manufacturer of Gucci?
Gucci’s current manufacturer is Kering, the company that owns Gucci. It is a luxury French Group that also owns Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, and Alexander McQueen.
Is Gucci cheaper in Italy?
Yes. Gucci products are about 10% cheaper in Italy than in the US and the rest of the world. However, you could claim a tax refund if you are a non-EU citizen, meaning you could get that 10% back. Ultimately, buying Gucci from Italy is cheaper than buying it from the US.
Related Questions:
Is Gucci Made in China?
Officially, Gucci doesn’t manufacture any of their products in China, and Gucci’s manufacturing plants are said to be located within Italy’s borders. However, there are very few cases where Gucci is made in Spain and in France.
The general belief, however, is that most of the parts and materials used to make Gucci products are made in other countries like China before they are transported to Italy for assembly, packaging, and branding.
Is Gucci made in Turkey?
While Gucci insists that its products are made in Italy exclusively, there was a case that showed that some Gucci products would have been made in Turkey, for instance, the employees’ uniforms. That said, Gucci has a specific site for their Turkey stores.
Is Gucci made in Bangladesh?
Officially, no. As mentioned above, Gucci’s products are made in Bangladesh. Therefore, reports of Gucci making their products in Bangladesh are unfounded.
However, numerous luxury brands have their products made in Bangladesh, for example, Austin Reed, Primark, Gap Inc., H&M, New Look, Zara, and Peacocks.
Is Gucci made in Japan?
No. There are no Gucci products made in Japan, and if you come across Gucci sunglasses that could be made in Japan or some other country, just look out for the Gucci stamp on the sunglasses – all of Gucci’s authentic sunglasses are made in Italy.
Are Gucci products handmade?
One of the top reasons why Gucci products are expensive and actually worth the investment is because these products are handcrafted, and even where machines are used, all the detailing that makes Gucci, Gucci results from handcrafting. The famous bamboo bags, for example, are handmade, and one bag takes up to 13 hours in the hands of one artisan, and it would still have to go through a number of other hands.
Conclusion
If you are not sure about your decision to buy products by Gucci, the information above should give you a pretty clear picture of what to expect from the brand and their products.
Just remember that authentic Gucci products are made in Italy, and generally, they cost less in Italy than in the US.
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