It may be news to some, but Florence is actually where many different fashion brands were born including Ferragamo, Gucci and Pucci. In previous posts, we've looked at the history of the former two but, as of yet, had never discussed Pucci at length. As the brand is one of the most iconic in Italy and the man behind it is so fascinating, it is worth delving into it, as well. If you are a fashion lover, it is a must to find a luxury villa in Florence and make a pilgrimage to the pertinent spots from his life and career and the flagship store on Via dei Tornabuoni.
While our Pucci is the most famous of recent decades, the name has been an important one for centuries as it is one of Florence's oldest noble families. Born in 1914, Emilio Pucci was a larger than life character who was a keen sportsman who swam, skied, fenced, played tennis and raced cars; a decorated soldier; a rich party kid; and, of course, the creator of one of the world's biggest fashion brands.
While our Pucci is the most famous of recent decades, the name has been an important one for centuries as it is one of Florence's oldest noble families. Born in 1914, Emilio Pucci was a larger than life character who was a keen sportsman who swam, skied, fenced, played tennis and raced cars; a decorated soldier; a rich party kid; and, of course, the creator of one of the world's biggest fashion brands.
As a teen, he travelled to New York as a part of the Italian team at the 1932 Winter Olympics, though he did not compete. He then attended the University of Milan before moving to the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, to study architecture. In 1935, he won a skiing scholarship to Reed College in Oregon and earned an MA in social science in 1937. That same year, he was awarded his doctorate (laurea) in political science from the University of Florence.
The following year, he returned home to an enlistment notice and joined the Italian Air Force. He served as an S.M. 79 torpedo bomber pilot during World War II, starting in Ethiopia. Having survived several disastrous fighter-pilot missions and won a medal for valour, he was struck with a debilitating tropical fever. While recuperating, he encountered a childhood pal, Countess Edda Ciano, the eldest daughter of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who had volunteered with the Red Cross. Edda's husband was a former follower and foreign minister of Mussolini who had turned against him and been imprisoned. Pucci became embroiled in a plan to save her husband, delivering some of Ciano's secret diaries (with their unflattering and damning information about Mussolini) to the Gestapo so that they could be bartered for Ciano's life.
They were wary, hiding pertinent information about the Nazis from the documents, and their worries proved valid when it became apparent that the Germans had no intention of releasing Edda's husband. Pucci got her out of the country, worried for her safety, but was captured when trying to do the same himself. He was arrested and transported to San Vittore prison in Milan where he was tortured by the Gestapo. When told to wipe the blood off his face by an officer during questioning, he reportedly took a small comb from his suit pocket and ran it through his hair and when he had finished, he noted that he, “asked the colonel if it was all right. He looked at me with a bewildered expression, as if I was an impertinent child with whom it was difficult to deal. I felt satisfied.”
Pucci was eventually released to Switzerland, where he spent the rest of the war recuperating, having sustained very serious injuries during the torture. This marked a new chapter of his life, where he would turn to the career that made him so famous. Read on to learn more about this incredible man!
The following year, he returned home to an enlistment notice and joined the Italian Air Force. He served as an S.M. 79 torpedo bomber pilot during World War II, starting in Ethiopia. Having survived several disastrous fighter-pilot missions and won a medal for valour, he was struck with a debilitating tropical fever. While recuperating, he encountered a childhood pal, Countess Edda Ciano, the eldest daughter of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who had volunteered with the Red Cross. Edda's husband was a former follower and foreign minister of Mussolini who had turned against him and been imprisoned. Pucci became embroiled in a plan to save her husband, delivering some of Ciano's secret diaries (with their unflattering and damning information about Mussolini) to the Gestapo so that they could be bartered for Ciano's life.
They were wary, hiding pertinent information about the Nazis from the documents, and their worries proved valid when it became apparent that the Germans had no intention of releasing Edda's husband. Pucci got her out of the country, worried for her safety, but was captured when trying to do the same himself. He was arrested and transported to San Vittore prison in Milan where he was tortured by the Gestapo. When told to wipe the blood off his face by an officer during questioning, he reportedly took a small comb from his suit pocket and ran it through his hair and when he had finished, he noted that he, “asked the colonel if it was all right. He looked at me with a bewildered expression, as if I was an impertinent child with whom it was difficult to deal. I felt satisfied.”
Pucci was eventually released to Switzerland, where he spent the rest of the war recuperating, having sustained very serious injuries during the torture. This marked a new chapter of his life, where he would turn to the career that made him so famous. Read on to learn more about this incredible man!
