Her name is already synonymous with high-end fashion, but now entrepreneur Patricia Gucci is redefining the luxury travel sphere with her brand of covetable, impeccably crafted luggage. Here, she chats to Natalie Hughes about launching Aviteur, learning to find balance, and protecting her father Aldo’s legacy.
It was 2017, I was travelling back and forth to London a lot in those days and I loved Terminal 5 – it’s a really good place to gauge what people are wearing. I said to my partner, “Greg, there’s no gorgeous carry-on. You have elegant people wearing bags from Chanel but they’re clattering around with generic, unattractive carry-on cases.” It was amazing to me that nobody had thought about creating one, and I knew there had to be leather involved. I wanted to create something that captured the sexy, fun, carefree times of travel – think Brigitte Bardot in Capri and Saint-Tropez, when people used to travel with rattan suitcases. That’s what inspired the weave detailing.
“Every new product launch provides another proud moment for me; a moment of creative euphoria that keeps me going”
The idea for Aviteur came when I was at Heathrow Terminal 5.
I wanted [the case to be] buttonless with polycarbonate adding a surprise element. We worked with car engineers in Torino, northern Italy, to develop the mechanism. It took a lot of trial and error, and it was a very costly process, but I love the idea of polycarbonate because of its translucent quality.
Now, our suitcases are produced in Varese, where some of the best brands’ trolley suitcases are made. The owner brought in his top artisans to figure out how to make the trapezoid-shaped case, bringing together stitching and leather, and keeping it light. Meanwhile, our near-silent, empty chamber wheels are created by a specialist Venetian company.
I wanted to do something modern.
wonderful press; Harrods and Net-A-Porter said, “Our clients have been looking for this – they want something fabulous to travel with.” And then COVID hit, and all the euphoria and momentum that we’d built up was suddenly taken away. We were forced to say, “OK, where are we going now? What can we do to enhance the carry-on?”
So, we started working on weekend bags. We created the ‘Weekender Maxi’, the ‘Weekender’, and our laptop case. Then, we introduced canvas garment bags and a chic backpack, too.
After that, I wanted to bring in something a little more feminine and fun. It had to look like an Aviteur; to be consistent with our designs, and maintain the craftsmanship and quality – so the ‘Cristallino’ was perfect. It features the brand’s signature weave and shape, but introduces a prism clasp, which echoes the polycarbonate handle and brings a lightness to the aesthetic.
In 2019, we launched our first product
who understands the language that we’re presenting. Our products are designed for a lifetime. They’re not disposable.
my youngest daughter graduating from
I have so many proud moments: the birth of my daughters;
I’m very happy that I have a wonderful partner, Greg. I have a lot on
You have to keep a positive spirit.
“I have this inner strength that helps me keep my head up in times of controversy or challenge”
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Aviteur is a brand for people with sophistication.
PATRICIA
“I feel I am, in whatever way I can be, the guardian of whatever Gucci was; whatever the legacy of my father was”
£1,575
The Gigi bag
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£2,048
The Cristallo Weekend Bag
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£855
The Cristallo Backpack
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£1,755
Garment Bag
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£6,255
Aviteur Carry-on
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£855
The Tote Bag
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Makeup by Shirley Anne Dapaah, using the Jordana Ticia Nude Divinity Palette and Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Marco Mezzani
in three colours, following 18 months of development. We had
It takes a certain eye [to appreciate it]; somebody
university; when I published my book [In the Name of Gucci: A Memoir, released in 2016). That took a lot out of me but it was an amazing time in my life. Then, of course, came Aviteur. Now, every new product launch provides another proud moment for me; a moment of creative euphoria that keeps me going. I feel my father’s spirit a lot, and, when I feel it, I know I’m on the right track.
my shoulders: I’m a mum and there are so many things going on every day, but he’s always there for me. He says, “It’s OK, it’s going to happen, it’s going to work.” He really helped me with the book, too – we went through so many rewrites together.
We knew each other at school, and we saw each other again 35 years later, after we’d each had two marriages. In our school days, he was a Californian blonde – a surfer – and I was looking at Italian boys. We are different people but share so many things in common and I think that is fundamental. The most important thing, other than love and passion, is to have the same views – whether it’s taste, whether it’s political beliefs or spirituality. Actually, I’m more spiritual than he is, but he listens and he’s got an open mind.
Greg was working with a technology company when I came up with the idea of Aviteur, but he was so excited to see this project develop that he said, “You know what? I think I want to come and help you full-time.” And I said, “There’s nothing I’d love more. I trust you; we speak the same language.”
The handle had to be completely different and reimagined.
it’s seven days a week. When we go out for dinner, we end up talking about Aviteur and I’m like, “Wait a minute, we’ve got to figure something out!” But we get excited and we balance each other out: I have no patience and he’s much more calm, so we’re good opposites.
because now it’s all consuming for us –
It’s challenging to have the same work and life partner
will go out and have a nice little dinner and celebrate moments of victory.
I believe in God, so I pray all the time,
in good and bad times. I am always grateful. [My family and I]
out there. I’m normally a private person, because growing up there was so much written about my family, especially after my father’s death. Being a Gucci means people think you are the shop window – you are a Gucci product. Sure, I’m privileged: I went to great schools, I had a nice upbringing, and the name did bring a lot of good things, but I had to work much harder for Aviteur. So I did the book because I wanted to bring my father’s truth to the world – what he really did and who he really was, which had always been swept under the rug. I feel I am, in whatever way I can be, the guardian of whatever Gucci was; whatever the legacy of my father was. I’m the only one who really can speak that truth. So that takes a little bit of courage.
Launching Aviteur is one of the bravest things I’ve done.
Also, writing the book – I mean, I put myself
and having a good relationship with a wonderful human being – someone who knows me deep down – gives me confidence. I also have this inner strength that helps me keep my head up in times of controversy or challenge.
I ask myself that every day. I think age helps you put things into perspective,
How do I find balance?
Yorkshire terrier). My daughter gets jealous of her but I say, “You guys are busy with your lives, so Greg and I have Lola – she’s our baby and that’s all there is to it.” You can’t diminish the importance of having a dog.
We have our dog, Lola,
who we love more than anything. She’s a ‘morkie’ (a cross between a Maltese and
park. We’re in the best possible place to work in, but the air pollution is really bad in the city. Our real home is in Switzerland, so we often go back to decompress, relax, catch up on new movies and take long walks with Lola.
Our showroom is in the heart of Milan.
It’s like a beautiful salon, filled with art and surrounded by a
I think it speaks volumes about us. I’m also very excited about the new ‘Milano’ bag, which is designed to be a bag you can take from the city to the airport.
Trying to pick my favourite Aviteur piece is like choosing a favourite child.
I love our ‘Gigi’ bag –
know how to put together if you’ve lived there for a while. When it comes to decorating my house, I love colour and changing the textures, which is a very English thing to do – adding in surprise elements that are a little kitsch.
There’s an eclecticism to English style that I love and it’s something you only
It all comes back to London.
make-up on. My other essentials are my chargers, my phone, and my diary, which is from Mignon Paris. I’m still someone who loves a diary – I write down all of my appointments; I’m very old-fashioned. Greg is always trying to get me onto Google Calendar, but I’ve got to write it down. I take comfort from knowing that I’m still in my world, wherever I am.
I never travel without my back-lit magnifying mirror.
I need glasses to read, so it helps me put my
else should be wearing Fracas.” I’ve been wearing Fracas by Robert Piguet for nearly 40 years.
When it comes to fragrance, I’m a Fracas lady.
My daughters say, “This is Mummy’s smell. No one
that are fabulous. I’ve also just discovered this wonderful brand called Dušan, which I wore last night and loved because it felt like I just got out of bed in my silk pyjamas and I went to a dinner party. The brand’s pieces are sensual, easy, and look amazing with Aviteur. For me, it’s all about the material and the cut and how it feels on your body.
My favourite fashion piece is a good blazer
that fits well. I have some great Alexander McQueen blazers
GUCCI
GUCCI