Guccio Gucci was born on March 28, 1881, in Tuscany, Florence. His father was a fairly successful tanner and hat maker, coming from a family with a tradition in tanning. Nevertheless—ironically, given his later success—the young Gucci rejected the family tradition and left Italy to work in Europe. Still a teenager, he first arrived in Paris and then settled for several years in London, where he worked at the Savoy Hotel, initially as a porter, eventually rising to the respectable position of maître d'.

While working at the Savoy, Gucci interacted with many glamorous celebrities and members of royal families of the time who stayed at the hotel, and he noticed that they always traveled with a multitude of well-made and sophisticated luggage. At the same time, he was fascinated by the traditional craftsmen and tanners of London, especially the company H.J. Cave & Sons, which offered top-quality products to those wealthy enough to afford them. Finally, Gucci had noticed that many of these aristocrats showed a keen interest in polo and horse racing, something that would influence his designs from the very beginning.