Gucci (; ) is an
Italian fashion and
leather goods brand, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by the French
holding company Kering. Gucci was founded by
Guccio Gucci in
Florence in 1921. Gucci generated about €4.2 billion in
revenue worldwide in 2008 according to
BusinessWeek and climbed to 41st position in the magazine's annual 2009 "Top Global 100 Brands" chart created by
Interbrand; it ranked retained that rank in Interbrand's 2014 index. Gucci is also the biggest-selling Italian brand. Gucci operates about 278
directly operated stores worldwide as of September 2009, and it
wholesales its products through franchisees and upscale
department stores. In the year 2013, the brand was valued at US$12.1 billion, with sales of US$4.7 billion. In the
Forbes World's Most Valuable Brands list, Gucci is ranked the 38th most valuable brand, with a brand value of $12.4 billion as of May 2015 As of January 2015, the
creative director is
Alessandro Michele.