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Up Front

INTERVIEW

Flight of Fancy

Patricia Gucci has channeled the
wisdom she learned from her
storied fashion family into a line
of elegant luggage to elevate
the airport experience

“Honestly, I was never interested in fashion,”
says Patricia Gucci. The granddaughter of
Guccio Gucci, who founded the famous
Italian brand in 1921, continues: “When I was
18, I wanted to go to acting school, but my
father [Aldo Gucci] pulled me into the
business and that was that.” Four decades
later—after roles as fashion coordinator,
brand ambassador and on Gucci’s board of
directors—Patricia is finally making her own
mark on the luxury goods industry.
In 2019, she launched Aviteur—a line of
chic travel accessories that builds upon her
forefathers’ founding vision. “At its core,
Gucci was a luggage and leather goods
brand; fashion came much later, first with
Luciano Soprani, then Tom Ford, which was
the highlight, then the pop-culture frenzy of
Alessandro Michele,” says Patricia. “It was
fun to watch, but I can’t say I’m a fashionista
per se. I don’t follow trends and Aviteur is
not a fashion brand.”
Inspiration for her new venture struck
at the British Airways lounge in London
Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5. Noticing how
all the carry-on suitcases were invariably
black and nondescript, “I decided there and
then to make one of my own,” she says.
“Above all, I wanted something that stood
out from the crowd, something that was
recognizable by distinct style codes without
a screaming logo.”
The result was the Aviteur Carry-on:
a luxe take on the ubiquitous pull-along bag,
crafted in calfskin leather and with woven
panels reminiscent of vintage rattan
suitcases from “Capri and Saint-Tropez in the
1960s,” she says. “So much time went into it,
from the buttonless handle in Lucite to the
‘silent’ wheels.” Indeed, the wheels are

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