The history of the Gucci brand is a tale of an epic rise and fall. An Italian leather goods manufacturer named Guccio Gucci founded the company in the late 1930s. After burnishing his credentials by working in his family's leather goods store, Gucci opened his own business in Rome. His designs were met with mass approval and his bamboo handbag, in particular, which he designed in 1947, earned the Gucci label critical acclaim among the fashionistas.

The company grew by leaps and bounds throughout the 1950s and introduced a number of handbags and accessories, such as the suede moccasin and saddle girth bags which are now classics. The company's golden era came in the 1960s and '70s, when fashion icons like Jackie Onassis Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn wore Gucci clothing prominently. Grace Kelly, an actress and later Princess also helped popularize Gucci by adorning the company's flora scarf.

Today, despite a few internal issues, Gucci remains one of the leaders of fashion throughout the world. From innovative shoe designs to fantastic clothing lines and breathtaking handbags, there are few areas of fashion that Gucci does not excel in.

Gucci is probably best known for their gorgeous handbags, marked by their trademark "G" logo. Like all haute couture, however, Gucci does not come cheap. Some of Gucci's handbags can cost up to thousands of dollars.