L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano G ucci. Even if t h e n a m e doesn't imme- d i a t e l y c o n - j u r e u p images of iconic green and red wide stripe motifs on everything from watches to leggings to luggage, unques- t i o n a b l y t h e n a m e i s instantly recognized by most anyone tuned into high end fashion. T h e r e a r e a s e l e c t f e w Italian fashion houses that rule the world – at least the world of high couture. Based on top global sales (over 9 billion euro) for 2019, the Gucci brand would seem to be the current overlord for this particular world. Tuscan-born Guccio Gucci (1881-1953), the son of a Florentine leather craftsman and founder of Gucci prod- ucts, would be proud. A f t e r t i m e a w a y f r o m home and a healthy dose of r e a l - w o r l d e x p e r i e n c e , Guccio returned to Florence with a vision for creating high quality, long-lasting leather goods. In 1921, the House of Gucci was estab- lished and quickly built a reputation for high quality l e a t h e r b a g s c o n s t r u c t e d with the finest of craftsman- ship. Eventually, the line expanded as demand grew. Gucci's interest in horse rac- ing led to the inclusion of e m b e l l i s h m e n t s s u c h a s snaffles bits and horseshoes a d o r n i n g h a n d b a g s , l u g - g a g e , a n d s h o e s … i c o n i c m o t i f s s t i l l a p p e a r i n g o n Gucci products today. A brand suited to those w i t h v e r y h e a l t h y b a n k a c c o u n t s , G u c c i t o d a y i s obviously a luxury line that m a n y c a n o n l y i m a g i n e o w n i n g . D e l v i n g b e y o n d Gucci's upper crust reputa- tion, however, brings dis- covery of a forward-thinking initiative by the company to give back to the public and t h e w o r l d . T o t h i s e n d , a v i b r a n t m o v e m e n t c h r i s - tened Gucci Equilibrium was launched on June 5, 2018…Earth Day, fittingly so. Terms like sustainabili- ty and social responsi- bility are catch phrases in today's world of commerce. While many labels pay lip service to upholding these tenets, the reality is often a b i t d i s a p p o i n t i n g . T o i t s credit, Gucci Equilibrium puts quantifiable action to these phrases in a very real way. With the pledge of a "… c o m m i t m e n t t o g e n e r a t e positive change for people and our planet," a variety of initiatives created by or sup- ported by Gucci have been d e s i g n e d , w h i c h i n v o l v e their personnel, resources, and/or suppliers. A premise of three separate divisions, o r p i l l a r s , w a s d e v i s e d – Environment, People, and New Models – as a way to organize the considerable number of outreaches. An in-depth look at programs found under each of these divisions would fill a small b o o k ; h o w e v e r , t a k i n g a p e e k a t s e v e r a l c e r t a i n l y h i g h l i g h t s t h e g e n u i n e attempts at positive change taking place through Gucci Equilibrium. "We know that our brand and our people are commit- ted agents of social change and environmental change, and we take that seriously," states Gucci President and C E O M a r c o B i z z a r r i . What better way to bring fruition to those words than starting from within, just as Bizzarri has done with the company's workforce. Gucci employees around the globe are offered the availability of four paid days of leave each year to volunteer for n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n s within their communities. Employee volunteers have free choice of where to gift their time as long as the not- f o r - p r o f i t i s l o c a l . W i t h almost 13,000 employees under the collective Gucci roof, that adds up to a lot of earnest giving back. G u c c i E q u i l i b r i u m ' s vision to better the planet and its inhabitants extends i m p r e s s i v e l y b e y o n d i t s employee roster, however. An inspiring collection of initiatives and collabora- tions are in place around the w o r l d … w i t h v e r i f i a b l e results to impress even the stodgiest skeptic. One such example is Gucci's collab- o r a t i o n w i t h " I W a s a Sari," an initiative begun in 2013 by Stefano Funari. B a s e d i n M u m b a i , I n d i a , women in underprivileged c o m m u n i t i e s a r e t u t o r e d and instructed in the art of design and production using " p r e - l o v e d " s a r i s . I t e m s including clothing, shoes, scarves, and bags are crafted into new life, which in turns brings the means to make a living, as well as create a source of pride and belong- ing, to the women artisans. G u c c i E q u i l i b r i u m p a r t - nered with "I Was a Sari" in 2018 and has initiated an embroidery training pro- g r a m , a s w e l l a s m a k i n g available workshops sharing resources and creative guid- a n c e f o r e x c e l l i n g i n t h e world of fashion. " G u c c i D e s i g n Fellowship Program" is another example of global outreach to foster opportu- nities for those who might not otherwise have them. Launched in 2019, the pro- gram established relation- s h i p s w i t h 1 0 f a s h i o n s c h o o l s f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . W i t h a f o c u s o n underrepresented groups and setting up the opportu- nity for creative and cultural exchange, each school was t a s k e d w i t h s e l e c t i n g 5 deserving students. The ini- tial group of 50 young, tal- ented designers from widely Gucci Equilibrium: a mega fashion house seeks to build a better world diverse backgrounds were b r o u g h t t o R o m e a n d Florence and immersed in the world of high fashion for s e v e r a l w e e k s . F r o m t h i s group, a sub-set of 11 were selected and granted one- y e a r i n t e r n s h i p s w i t h i n G u c c i . I n t e n t i o n s a r e f o r this program to bring in a n e w s e t o f s t u d e n t s a n d interns each year. Mother Earth is assuredly not ignor ed within Gucci E q u i l i b r i u m ' s i n n o v a t i v e directives. All Gucci cam- puses are actively incorpo- rating earth-friendly prac- tices such as green energy, as well as realistic methods f o r r e d u c i n g s i n g l e - u s e products and plastic waste. Bizzarri's belief that busi- nesses have the responsibili- ty to manage impacts on the environment is put to prac- tice, as well, by way of an analytical accounting sys- tem unique to Gucci. Yearly data-driven analysis "mea- sures greenhouse gas emis- sions, air and water pollu- tion, water consumption, land use, and waste produc- tion along the entire supply chain and then calculates what the approximate cost t o s o c i e t y i s i n m o n e t a r y t e r m s a n d b a s e d o n t h e c h a n g e s i n t h e e n v i r o n - ment…" With results thus far of a 39% reduction in c o m b i n e d e n v i r o n m e n t a l impacts and a 37% reduc- tion in greenhouse gas emis- sions (2019), the data cer- tainly backs up Gucci's com- mitment to look out for the planet. Additionally, strin- g e n t r e q u i r e m e n t s a r e placed on all suppliers to adhere to ethical practices and resourcing. "We can't save the world a l o n e , b u t w e m u s t s t a r t f r o m s m a l l t h i n g s , a n d there are no shortcuts…The only way to do that is by bringing people together, sharing ideas, innovation and experiences. This is the objective we have set for G u c c i E q u i l i b r i u m . " ~ Marco Bizzarri More information on the many Gucci Equilibrium ini- t i a t i v e s c a n b e f o u n d o n t h e i r w e b s i t e a t https://equilibrium.gucci.co m NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS PAULA REYNOLDS "Gucci Design Fellowship Program" is another example of global outreach to foster opportunities for those who might not otherwise have them (Dreamstime)

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