A few days ago a customer sent us a handbag for authentication. It was a Gucci Plus handbag, something we have never seen before. There was also no sign of serial or any date code. The stamp was barely visible and it said ‘Gucci Plus made in Italy’.
Vintage handbags are the hardest to authenticate. Most newer handbags have something in common, there are specific rules for each element. For instance, modern Gucci handbags have serial numbers and stamps. They also use hardware from specific manufacturers. That gives an authenticator a set of specific elements to be checked.
Designer handbag manufacturers take these measures to differentiate themselves because of a huge problem they are facing right now: counterfeiting. Vintage handbags have not faced counterfeiting at the current problem extent so they didn’t have to put so much effort into ‘marking’ their handbags so that they would be different from fakes.
Gucci Plus History
If you ever see Gucci canvas with ‘PLUS’ mark over each GG monogram like the one below, there’s actually a history behind it.
Remember Paolo Gucci portrayed by Jared Leto in the ‘House of Gucci’ (2021)? There was another story connected to this figure. A story told by his wife Jenny Gucci in a book ‘Gucci Wars: How I Survived Murder and Intrigue at the Heart of the World’s Fashion House’.
In the 70s Paolo Gucci, a Gucci Gucci’s grandson, was the chief creative designer of the fashion house. The brand has already conquered the attention of the rich and Paolo wanted to make the brand more accessible. He insisted that a cheaper line could attract a younger audience.
Creating a ‘Gucci Plus’ line became Paolo’s dream. He worked hard on strategy. The line should’ve been available everywhere, from shopping malls to grocery stores. By taking advantage of cheaper factories outside Italy, he could have reduced the handbags costs without saving on the quality.
As a creative designer, he has put a lot of effort into the designs. They should’ve been recognizable yet different from what they did in their main expensive line. So he came up with this beige canvas with ‘PLUS’ mark over GG logos.
He presented his vision to the board a few times with no luck. Every time they turned down his ideas, leaving him devastated.
However, Paolo Gucci wasn’t ready to give up on his dream. He ignored that fact that his family forbid him to create his own line and got started. He created the ‘Gucci Plus’ designs and started exploring manufacturing costs in other countries.
Having learned that Paolo disobeyed the board's decision, his father Aldo who was in charge of the Gucci fashion house, decided that his son needs to be stopped.
Gucci sued Paolo for copyright infringement. However, in 1987 Paolo won the court case that allowed him to use the name “GUCCI” in his products. He needed to mark them differently though so that the buyers were able to see the difference between the high-end Gucci line and that affordable Gucci. These bags were produced in Mexico, as well as in Haiti.
What do Gucci Plus handbags look like?
Here's an example of an 'illegal' Gucci plus line. The handbags have a triangular leather tag inside saying ‘Gucci Plus made in Italy’.
The canvas looks just as their recognizable GG canvas with the only difference: there is a 'PLUS' inscription over each logo on the canvas.
What is Gucci Plus canvas?
As we have already stated in this article, Gucci Plus is a line launched by Paolo Gucci in 1970-1980s that was not approved by the fashion house board of directors.
However, to add even more confusion to the topic, in 2000s Gucci named their main canvas line Gucci Plus. This was a recognizable Gucci Canvas without any 'PLUS' inscription on the GG logo.
We hope that now the Gucci Plus topic is clear for you. If you want to learn more about Gucci, read or article on how to read Gucci serial numbers.
Need To Authenticate a Gucci Bag?
If you're purchasing a Gucci Bamboo bag preloved, it's important to check if it's real or fake.
At Bagaholic, we've had over 10 years of hands-on experience with authentic Gucci items. Our mission is to protect buyers of secondhand designer bags, as we understand how close counterfeiters are getting to copying real Gucci bags.
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Comments
My dad bought a wallet in 1987 in Italy it says Gucci Plus on it – I was wondering if it is worth anything or is it worth nothing. The brand Gucci has gone up so much has the Gucci Plus gone up also ?