Credit: Gucci
The use of bamboo is an element that, since the 1940s, has become an integral part of the creative language, an expression of elegance, innovation and artisanal savoir-faire, of the Gucci fashion house. Over the years, its use has evolved to become a true style feature of the brand, capable of crossing different eras, trends and styles.
But how did your connection with the Florentine brand begin? In Italy, after the Second World War, in a context marked by economic difficulties and the lack of traditional raw materials such as leather, Gucci decided to introduce the use of bamboo, a resistant, flexible and light material, to make the handles of its bags. Thus, in 1947, the very famous Bamboo Bag was born: a compact model, with essential lines and a rounded shape, characterized by a front flap with twist lock, and obviously, the bamboo handle, worked using a Japanese artisan technique, imported and perfected in Italy.
Processing bamboo requires specific skills. It is carefully selected, heated over an open flame to make it even easier to work with, curved by hand and then lacquered to ensure durability over time. Even today, despite the evolution of materials and technologies, this process remains mostly manual, an expression of the craftsmanship that distinguishes Gucci.
Over the years, for the fashion house, this material has become a true aesthetic symbol, which has evolved together with the creative directors who have been able to reinterpret and rethink it not only as a material, but above all as a symbol. In the 1990s, Tom Ford gave it a new interpretation, inserting it not only in iconic bags, but also in accessories with an essential design, such as rigid clutches or briefcases with shiny handles. Frida Giannini, in the early 2000s, continued this evolution: in her creations, bamboo is enriched with golden metal details, decorative charms, chain shoulder straps, and also becomes an element to be used in watchmaking, as in the 2010 Gucci Bamboo Watches collection, with hand-crafted case and straps.
Alessandro Michele made it the protagonist of his maximalist vision, enriching the Bamboo Bag with floral embroidery, stud applications, patches and also bringing it to jewelry, bracelets, belts and sunglasses. Sabato De Sarno takes up the legacy with a return to the essentiality of shapes, but using it as a distinctive element not only in leather goods, but also in small accessories.
The universe of bamboo at Gucci has also extended to the world of perfumery. In 2015, the Maison launched Gucci Bamboo Eau de Parfum, a feminine fragrance that celebrates the strength and elegance of this material with a bottle with geometric lines, faceted cuts like a jewel and a cap that recalls the shape of the famous bamboo handle.
In short, bamboo is a material that Gucci continues to celebrate and renew even today, even through projects not strictly linked to fashion but which nevertheless tell the story and identity of the Maison. An example of this is the exhibition “Gucci: Bamboo Encounters”, organized on the occasion of the Milan Design Week 2025, a journey through fashion, design and culture, which highlights not only the aesthetic evolution of bamboo, but also its symbolic and artisanal value.
