Gucci Moving Design Office From Rome to Milan
MILAN — The Gucci brand is generally associated with the city of Florence, where Guccio Gucci founded the company in 1921, or with Milan, where it has held its fashion shows for decades and has corporate headquarters. The design office, however, has been based in Rome since 2009 and the company has decided to relocate it to Milan, which led to a group of employees striking in the Italian capital on Monday.
“In Milan, the creative director [Sabato De Sarno] and the teams involved will have the opportunity to collaborate closely with the strategic functions of the company already based in the city,” a Gucci spokesman told WWD, confirming the relocation. This move, he said, “aims to enhance interactions and foster synergies within the different departments. The transition will be implemented gradually, ensuring full compliance with current regulations.”
More from WWD
The number of employees involved is 153 out of a total of 219, who would be transferred to Milan by the first half of 2024.
“Regarding the recent protest related to the transfer of the design office from Rome to Milan, Gucci informs that this transfer was announced to the trade unions in early October. It does not involve any staff reductions and will be carried out in full compliance with current regulations,” said Gucci in a statement.
“In this regard, the company has introduced a set of measures, encompassing both economic incentives and active support, designed to facilitate the relocation of all employees involved. These measures are notably more favorable than those stipulated in the Italian national collective agreement.”
The offices in Palazzo Alberini and Palazzo Mancini in Rome will not be closed. Located on Via del Banco di Santo Spirito, the nine-story Palazzo Alberini was commissioned by Giulio Alberini, a wealthy merchant, and erected circa 1515. It was designed by Raphael and his pupil Giulio Romano, and, after a restoration by Studio Gigli, became the home of the Gucci design office in 2009 under then-creative director Frida Giannini. De Sarno gave his first interview to WWD in September under the frescoed vaults of the 17th-century Palazzo Mancini in Rome’s central Via Del Corso. It is understood the decision to move to Milan was made at the company level and was not a request by De Sarno.
In 2016, after three years of restoration, Gucci unveiled its headquarters in Milan in the historic Caproni aeronautics factory built in 1915 on Via Mecenate, near Linate’s international airport.
The space, dubbed Gucci Hub, covering 378,000 square feet, brought together the fashion house’s Milan offices, worldwide showrooms, fashion show venue and graphics and photo studios in one location.
Rome has been a key city for Gucci in the expansion of the brand outside Italy, with its second store after Florence opening on luxury shopping street Via Condotti, near the Spanish Steps in September 1938, beginning a strong connection with Cinecittà, Hollywood movie stars and the Dolce Vita.
The company’s storied Florence headquarters and the Tuscan pipeline remain the center of Gucci’s craftsmanship and manufacturing. In 2018, Gucci christened its ArtLab in Scandicci, near Florence, the company’s first leather goods and shoes industrial complex.
Best of WWD
