Guccio Gucci was born in the 1880s, the son of a hatter. His family was connected to Florence, where young Guccio grew up with a passion for the beautiful attire of the wealthy elite. He observed this, among other places, in a Florentine hotel, where he met one of his first mentors—an elegant doorman. It was he who introduced Gucci to the world of luxury, its pros and cons, and who motivated him to travel to London to pursue and develop his passion. At that time, Italy was not yet as stable a nation as England. Only a few decades earlier, the final unification of Italy had taken place, and the country was marked by significant social stratification, and Guccio's ambitions extended far beyond his family's status.