Frida Giannini
33, Creative Director of Women's Wear, Gucci
By Nadia Mustafa
Fall 2005 Style & Design
The new brain behind the Gucci woman is nothing like Tom Ford. "[Tom's]
obsessed with [selling] sex, and I'm not," says Italian Frida Giannini,
who calls herself tamer than her brazen former boss. Giannini, who
replaced Alessandra Facchinetti as creative director of women's wear at
the $2 billion luxury house last spring, is known for her talent as an
accessories designer. Now she will have to prove herself in apparel.
Her plan is to bring a timeless quality to Gucci. She cites as an
example the success of the Flora line of accessories introduced last
year, inspired by the print of an old Gucci scarf made for Grace Kelly.
"I want to continue to develop it, not sell it or mark it down," she
says.
Giannini landed a job at Fendi in 1997, designing ready-to-wear before
switching to leather goods. In 2002 she jumped to Gucci, where she
oversaw handbags. In 2004 she was appointed creative director of
accessories, which make up more than 80% of the company's sales. "I
can't imagine the next fashion show without any jewelry or bags," she
says.
Giannini, an avid equestrian, lives with her husband, a Web designer, in
Florence. When she isn't finding a muse in objects as mundane as a
doorknob—the shape of which she used for the heel of a Gucci shoe—she
draws inspiration from the house's archives—for example, prints from
scarves of the 1960s and '70s, which she has applied to dresses and
shirts in the cruise collection.
Giannini's personality is already finding its way into the label's
image. "The Gucci woman enjoys life, is successful in her job and leaves
a lasting impression every time she walks into a room," she says, just
as easily describing herself.
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