Gucci ArtLab is more than just a place to refine and road test new designs—it’s a dedicated think-tank and research lab devoted to the brand’s sustainability efforts. TRAVELING ALONG THE MOTORWAY from the ornate epicenter of Florence to its industrial peripheries feels like zipping through the fabric of centuries. Renaissance-era palazzos slowly give way to rows of squat 1960s apartment buildings, and later to low-slung warehouses and gray-faced factory complexes. The irony of this nondescript sprawl is that a good portion of Italy’s high-end leather accessories are developed and produced here. What began centuries ago as a Tuscan artisan leather tradition has evolved into a booming industry, largely fostered by the high concentration of luxury brands that call this Florence suburb home. But while most hide their operations behind anonymous concrete walls, one stands out: Gucci ArtLab, a sprawling campus devoted to prototyping, sustainability, and artisan education. The 37,000-square-meter space is a stark departure from Gucci’s former factory and workshop, the stately Palazzo Settimanni in Florence’s Oltrarno neighborhood that dates back to the 15th century. The brand was founded by Guccio Gucci, a native Florentine who immigrated to London in 1897 to work as a porter at the Savoy, one of the most luxurious hotels of the era. Day in and day out, Gucci ferried well-to-do tourists and fin de siècle stars through the hotel’s lavish halls, studying their refined trappings: polished steamer trunks, drumlike hat boxes, and soft leather suitcases, all monogrammed with their owners’ initials. He brought those memories home to Florence when he returned in 1902, and then to life 19 years later, when he founded the house of Gucci out of a small storefront on Via della Vigna Nuova. There, he sold the same kinds of sumptuous luggage and travel accoutrements he had coveted during his early years in London, expertly constructed by the master craftsmen of his hometown. Over a century later, the brand continues to employ the artisans of Tuscany—but its methods of
production have evolved with the times, largely thanks to the innovation of the Gucci ArtLab, which launched in 2018. In front of the vast, two-story complex, visitors are greeted by bright, whimsical murals by artists such as Angelica Hicks and Ignasi Monreal. The building’s exterior is awash with vibrant illustrations, but its interiors are pristine. Wide glass windows punctuate the whitewashed hallways, framing busy workshops where teams of artisans stitch together bag and footwear prototypes, and tidy laboratories full of chemists and engineers test the coming season’s collection before approving it for production. In one lab, a glossy robotic arm jostles a mannequin—clad in Gucci tweed and wearing two of the brand’s signature crossbodies—as if it were a marionette doll. The jerking movements mimic the effects of several months of wear, revealing how daily life would shape and stress the leather, seams, and hardware. Gucci ArtLab is more than just a place to refine and road test new designs—it’s a dedicated think-tank and research lab devoted to the brand’s sustainability efforts. In 2021, Gucci reduced its total environmental footprint by 49 percent, a cut that Antonella Centra, Gucci’s executive vice president, general counsel, corporate affairs, and sustainability, credits in part to sustainable solutions and initiatives developed at ArtLab, including Gucci-Up, which reintroduces scrap leather and fabric into the production cycle; and the development of Demetra, the house’s own eco-friendly, animal-free material. “Though we are a leather brand at heart—Guccio Gucci opened our first store in Florence in 1921—it’s important for us to offer alternatives to those consumers who are looking for animal-free options,” says Centra. Derived from wood pulp, Demetra undergoes a chrome-free tanning process similar to genuine leather, resulting in a soft
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