Why is Gucci so expensive?

When I told my partner how much I paid for my Gucci bag, he asked straight away: Why is Gucci so expensive?!

Known for its double G logo, Gucci is an Italian luxury fashion company and one of the most popular brands in the world right now.

What makes Gucci so expensive is the brand's rich heritage and smart business strategy that combines elements of design, production, and clever marketing to create consumer desire, demand, and thus, high prices.

Gucci is a brand that instantly evokes a sense of prestige, status, and desirability and a name that confers the wearer with a social status symbol.

In this article, I am going to detail what makes Gucci one of the most expensive labels in the world right now.

Gucci's Origin, History And Heritage

The foundation for the 'House of Gucci' was laid in 1921, in Florence, Italy, by Guccio Gucci.

Guccio worked with high end brands in London, such as the Savoy Hotel, and wanted to create a similar Italian company infused with the flavour of English aristocracy.

Back to Italy, Guccio embarked on creating iconic designs, all inspired by British nobility of those times.

For example, the horse detail, seen in various pieces across the label's luxury products, is a homage to the brand's early days.

In those times, aristocrats were wearing a lot of equestrian gear and other similar fashion accessories.

The horse feature was placed on Gucci's iconic loafer which now occupies a place in the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Wealthy Poeple Brand Image

According to the brand's marketing ads, Gucci is a brand that charges "as much as people are willing to pay".

Similar to other luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci's products are equally expensive, and there are reasons for that.

First, Gucci does not target or cater to all buyers but only selected categories of consumers.

As it is the case of most labels selling luxury items, the high price becomes a form of client selectivity.

Second, Gucci banks on a strategy that allows the upper class to emphasise their status and prestige.

For example, Gucci's logo suggests that the buyers are of high class, have good taste, high class, and a strong financial background.