When a bag is distinctive enough to attract royalty like Princess Diana and Grace Kelly, not to mention Hollywood royalty like Elizabeth Taylor and Ingrid Bergman, yet trendy enough to be sported by today’s celebs like Harry Styles, Kate Moss, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Olivia Wilde, you know it’s a classic.
Which is what Gucci’s Bamboo 1947 bag is. Its instantly identifiable design with the curved-bamboo top handle is now the heart of the House’s signature bag collection, representing how a brand propelled by craftsmanship and creativity can stay relevant for over 100 years.
The bag was birthed in 1947 amid Italy’s post-war era when traditional raw materials were difficult to come by.
Gucci’s enterprising founder, Guccio Gucci, with the help of the House’s Florentine artisans, decided to use lightweight and durable bamboo instead of wood or leather for the handle of a purse.
The bamboo top handle also expanded Gucci’s artisanal expertise, as the process behind crafting the handle is highly technical. A craftsman first selects the finest pieces of bamboo, which are then softened and worked over an open flame by hand to manipulate the material into semicircular form. Once shaped, the handle is coated in multiple layers of lacquer, after which it is baked to achieve a shiny, golden-brown finish. Due to this meticulous process, not a single bamboo handle is ever the same.
Following its debut, the Bamboo Bag became a staple of Hollywood leading ladies like Taylor, Kelly and Bergman, as well as the international jet set, consolidating its status as a global icon.
The current Gucci Bamboo 1947 is distinguished by interchangeable leather and Web straps that are detachable and adjustable, making it a highly versatile accessory, suitable for myriad occasions.
Supermodel Liu Wen stars in Gucci’s latest campaign dedicated to the Bamboo 1947 shot and directed by David Sims, where the bag is depicted not just as an accessory but an extension of a woman’s personality and the keeper of her secrets.
Presented in varying sizes and materials, the Bamboo 1947 line is offered in timeless color palettes as well as seasonal variations, and features refined evening styles as well as precious leather iterations.
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Discover more about Gucci at www.gucci.com.
In the Philippines, Gucci is located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati City.