While Louis Vuitton may have been among the first brands to captivate the internet with its monogrammed luggage and the expansion of its travelling counterpart, but one might be surprised to know that founder Guccio Gucci started the brand by making travel bags and leather accessories back in 1921.

Gucci x Globe-Trotter Luggage Line Is A Look Back At The Untold Story of Gucci’s British Roots

Displayed in the recently opened Gucci Garden Museum in Florence, is a gallery featuring luggage and travel carry-ons that date all the way back to the early 1920s. The exhibition tells the story of founder Guccio Gucci before the birth of the Gucci brand. Before the fashion house of Gucci, he worked as a bellboy at one of London’s prestigious hotels. Inspired by beautiful luggage that accompanied every one of the hotel’s distinguished guests, Guccio Gucci went back to his hometown and started creating travel bags and accessories under his name.

Fast forward to today, Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele revisits the house’s British origins to create a luggage line. Coincidentally (or not), Alessandro Michele has been a long-time fan of Globe-Trotter, a British Luxury Travel Lifestyle brand established since 1897. In the project of creating a new luggage collection, Alessandro marries his vision and aesthetics with Globe-Trotter’s sturdy products. The result is a beautiful collection that is a pleasure to look at, perfectly sized and a stylish travelling companion.

The luggage collection features suitcase-style travel bags in three sizes, each in brown and black of Gucci’s monogram, as well as a beauty case.

‘Gucci’s eclectic aesthetic has really challenged us in the best possible way,’ said Charlotte Seddon, designer at Globe-Trotter. ‘This project has become not only about translating Alessandro’s ideas for how the luggage should look and feel, but also about how to achieve this technically. In the end it has led us to develop our first ever four-wheeled case along with innovative digital printing techniques that we’ve never tried before. We’ve also used bamboo as a material for the first time – in the vanity case handles – as bamboo has long been a Gucci signature.’