Famously portrayed by Jared Leto in House of Gucci, Paolo Gucci was known for his bold fashion designs and his power struggles with his family members.
Universal Images Group North America LLC/Alamy Stock PhotoPaolo Gucci attempted to use his family name for his own businesses, leading to numerous legal disputes.
Today, Gucci is one of the most famous fashion brands in the world. Gucci is simultaneously a fashion statement and an indicator of social status. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. Like everything, Gucci had to start somewhere, and though the company was founded by Guccio Gucci, it was his grandson Paolo Gucci, the “black sheep” of the family, whose contributions helped solidify the brand as an international powerhouse.
Yet Paolo Gucci’s work has often gone unrecognized. In the film House of Gucci, for instance, Paolo is portrayed by actor Jared Leto as a dolt, a talentless designer whose vindictive nature caused chaos within the company. While Paolo was known to be unconventional and there was a fair amount of drama surrounding Paolo and his family members, there are also some who disagree with Leto’s over-the-top depiction of him.
For example, the fashion designer Tom Ford criticized the portrayal: “Paolo, whom I met on several occasions, was indeed eccentric and did some wacky things, but his overall demeanor was certainly not like the crazed and seemingly mentally challenged character of Leto’s performance.”
The real-life Paolo Gucci was far from a perfect man, but he was also much more complex than his House of Gucci counterpart. Here’s everything you need to know about the “black sheep” of the Gucci family.
Paolo Gucci Was Born Into The Family Business
Paolo Gucci was born on March 29, 1931 in Florence. He was one of the three sons of Aldo Gucci and Olwen Price (Aldo Gucci would also welcome a daughter out of wedlock with a woman he had an affair with). Aldo was heavily involved in the Gucci family business, which had been founded by his father Guccio. Paolo and his brothers were also expected to play a role in the business from a young age — and they were raised accordingly.
Wikimedia CommonsGuccio Gucci, the founder of Gucci. Circa 1940.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Aldo helped make his father’s brand an international success. Through business dealings, Aldo licensed out the Gucci name to numerous businesses beyond the family’s original leather business — though his methods weren’t always exactly legal.
Like Guccio, Aldo seemed to have unbridled ambition. That same ambition extended to Aldo’s children, and while the Gucci name has been long associated with luxury, it was once also known for internal power struggles.
Everett Collection Historical/Alamy Stock PhotoAldo Gucci, the man who helped introduce the Gucci business to international audiences.
For example, as The Independent noted, Guccio’s quarrel with his own father was what inspired him to leave Florence for London in the first place, setting the stage for him to be inspired to create Gucci. As for Aldo, he moved to New York in 1953, expanding the Guccis’ sphere of influence there.
A year prior to this, Paolo had married a woman named Yvonne Moschetto. The couple would eventually have two daughters together, Elisabetta and Patrizia, but their marriage would later be dissolved.
Meanwhile, Paolo concerned himself with becoming a famous designer in his own right — even though he wasn’t always taken seriously by his relatives. By the time the 1960s came around, Gucci had already established itself as a popular luxury brand, its famous double-G logo adorning handbags around the world. Then, Aldo took a chance and made Paolo the chief designer for the company — and his ambition sparked a flurry of troubles for the family.
A Brief Stint As The Chief Designer And Vice President Of Gucci
Universal PicturesJared Leto as Paolo Gucci in House of Gucci.
As Gucci’s chief designer, Paolo Gucci helped to refine the famous double-G logo and established a popular color palette of red, green, and black.
Throughout the 1970s, the family business continued to thrive and expand. This resounding success led Aldo to make Paolo the vice president and managing director of Gucci Shops Inc. and of Gucci Parfums of America. However, during the 1980s, things took a turn for the Gucci family.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, Paolo had secretly launched his own business using the Gucci name. He argued that he wanted to modernize and expand the brand to a younger audience — and that his uncle Rodolfo had been opposed to this, wanting to keep the business more exclusive and old-fashioned. Regardless of Paolo’s intentions, his father and his uncle were livid to discover his plans and kicked him out of the family business.
ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy Stock PhotoPaolo Gucci’s cousin Maurizio, who ended up getting targeted by one of Paolo’s lawsuits.
According to The New York Times, however, this didn’t put an end to Paolo’s ambitions. Paolo continued to work on his bold designs independently and filed a federal lawsuit to get permission to use the Gucci name without infringing upon any trademarks. His initial case was dismissed.
He filed another lawsuit in 1982, accusing some of his family members of breach of contract, emotional harm, and even physically attacking him during a board meeting. The suit was filed against his father Aldo, his brothers Giorgio and Roberto, his uncle Rodolfo, and Rodolfo’s son Maurizio.
When Rodolfo died a year later, he left his shares in the company to Maurizio, and suddenly, Paolo saw a new opportunity to gain control over the family’s businesses. But first, he wanted to get his father out of the way.
Independent Photo Agency Srl/Alamy Stock PhotoMaurizio Gucci with his wife Patrizia — who would later order his death.
Paolo tipped off the IRS that his father had been evading millions of dollars in taxes, leading to Aldo’s imprisonment in 1986. Though Aldo only spent one year and one day behind bars, it made a clear statement.
But Paolo didn’t want the company anymore. He’d gotten his revenge. In 1987, he sold his shares in the company to Investcorp for $41 million.
However, Paolo’s own legal troubles came back to haunt him.
Paolo Gucci’s Tumultuous Final Years
Paolo Gucci, who had become a citizen of Haiti due to his interest in starting a production line in the country, had married the English-born Jenny Puddefoot in Haiti back in 1977. Their union was controversial from the start, as Paolo had obtained a Haitian divorce from his first wife Yvonne Moschetto, which was not officially recognized by Italy. However, Paolo’s first marriage would eventually be considered dissolved.
Paolo and his second wife Puddefoot had also welcomed a daughter together, named Gemma. However, their marriage came to a sudden end in 1990 when Puddefoot learned that Paolo was having an extramarital affair with a Gucci “stable girl” named Penny Armstrong.
Paolo and Armstrong had two children, Alyssa and Gabrielle, but if any of them were hoping to get a share of the Gucci fortune, they were mistaken.
In 1994, Paolo Gucci was incarcerated for five weeks in New York after failing to pay back alimony and child support to Puddefoot. And since he couldn’t use his family’s name to sell his designs, he was essentially living off of the money that he made from the sale of his shares. In fact, his financial situation had gotten so bad that he had declared bankruptcy in 1993.
Universal PicturesPaolo’s daughter Patrizia called Leto’s portrayal “horrible, horrible. I still feel offended.”
After Paolo died of chronic hepatitis at age 64 on October 10, 1995, Gucci acquired the rights to his designs. He had also left Puddefoot and Armstrong to fight over what was left of his fortune and possessions.
“I won’t see any of the money,” Armstrong said in an archived interview about an auction that was taking place at the home that she once shared with Paolo. “And I could not bear to see the things that Paolo loved, sold to strangers. I miss him so much and it would hurt too much.”
After growing accustomed to a life of luxury, she and her children suddenly found themselves, ironically, given her name, penniless.
“I have no idea what I am going to do now,” Armstrong said. “The sale of our things has been the final agony. In the catalogue there are photos of ornaments we bought together at antique shops. It has really brought it home to me. That part of my life is all over. I cannot quite believe what has happened… I loved Paolo and I still miss him desperately. I don’t know if I will ever be able to come to terms with what has happened.”
In the end, Paolo Gucci leaves behind a complicated legacy. He made lasting contributions to the Gucci name and brand that are used even today. But he also went behind his family’s back to use the Gucci name in a way that he knew they wouldn’t approve of — and when they fought back, revenge arguably became even more important to him than his designs.
After reading about Paolo Gucci, learn about Ann Lowe, the Black fashion designer who created Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress. Then, read about the life of Gianni Versace, the Italian fashion designer who was assassinated.
