Paolo Gucci

Paolo Gucci (29 March 1931 – 10 October 1995) was an Italian businessman and fashion designer. He was the one-time chief designer and vice-president of Gucci. He is credited with helping design Gucci's famous double G logo.

Early life and career

Paolo Gucci was born on 29 March 1931 in Florence, the son of Olwen Price and Aldo Gucci, who was the son of Gucci founder Guccio Gucci.

In 1984, seeking revenge, Paolo got his father Aldo removed from the company with the help of his cousin Maurizio Gucci, who had recently become the majority shareholder. In addition, Paolo also tipped off the IRS about his father's tax evasion. In 1986, Aldo was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for tax evasion. In 1987, Paolo sold all his shares in Gucci to Investcorp for $42.5 million. Due to divorce proceedings and bad business advice, he filed for bankruptcy in 1993. Although Paolo later obtained a unilateral Haitian divorce from Yvonne, this was not recognized by Italian courts. In 1977, assuming his divorce was valid, he entered into a second marriage with British opera singer Jenny Puddefoot, with whom he had a daughter, Gemma. In 1990, Paolo separated from Puddefoot following an affair with Penny Armstrong, with whom he had two children, Alyssa and Gabriele, out of wedlock.

Arms

Guccio Gucci; his eldest living biological son, Aldo Gucci; Aldo Gucci's sons, Giorgio Gucci, Paolo Gucci, and Roberto Gucci; and grandson Uberto Gucci claimed the right to use an inherited, ancestral coat of arms after the Kingdom of Italy, which was ruled by the House of Savoy, transitioned to the Italian Republic in 1946.

The blazon, as recorded in the Archives of Florence, is as follows: "Blue, three red poles bordered with silver; a head of gold, to the right a blue wheel, and to the left a red rose." ("D'azzurro, a tre pali di rosso bordati d'argento; e al capo d'oro caricato a destra di una ruota d'azzurro, e a sinistra di una rosa di rosso.")

Translation: "Family of San Miniato; Giacinto Gucci and his brothers were admitted to the nobility of San Miniato in 1763 (on that occasion it is declared that the family had come from Cremona in 1224); Giuseppe di Gaetano Gucci, on the other hand, was admitted to the nobility of Fiesole in 1839. Francesco di Benedetto Gucci obtained Florentine citizenship in 1601, for the Golden Lion banner; Giovanni Battista by Giovan Piero Gucci obtained it in 1634, in the Scala banner."

Court documents, records, and subsequent rulings indicate that, because the Gucci family trademarked the coat-of-arms in 1955, the trademark transferred with the sale of the Gucci company by Maurizio Gucci to Investcorp, and subsequent company owners, in 1993. However, Uberto Gucci (born 1960), the son of Roberto Gucci, the nephew of Paolo Gucci, and the grandson of Aldo Gucci, claims that the Gucci family still has the right to use the ancestral Gucci coat-of-arms.

In popular culture In the film House of Gucci (2021), Paolo Gucci is played by American actor Jared Leto, and the script portrays him as a talentless designer. In April 2021, Paolo's daughter Patrizia Gucci criticized Leto's portrayal (unkempt hair, lilac suit) of her father in the film, stating that she "still feels offended". Jared Leto Won a Golden Raspberry Award (Razzie), at the 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards, for Worst Supporting Actor. Despite this, Leto's performance received praise from film critics and earned him nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and Satellite Award—both for Best Supporting Actor.