The last few years have seen a resurgence in archival designs from major design houses. Designers have chosen to dip into brand archives for inspiration, thus reviving both designs in their entirety as well as specific elements from the past. Alessandro Michele has taken the latter route with the introduction of Gucci’s new 1955 Horsebit collection. The first bag from the Horsebit line was introduced last fall and since then the line has been expanded to include bucket bags, and more recently totes and top handle shapes too. While the silhouettes and designs are original creations by Michele himself, the storytelling behind these bags is rooted in the concept of neoclassicism, which focuses on revitalizing the past. Michele’s 1955 Horsebit bags do just that, emblazoned with Gucci’s storied Horsebit hardware, but in a fresh, modern way.
The Horsebit is a house icon that dates back to the 50s as its name states. The 1950s were a big decade for the house of Gucci. In 1951 Rodolfo Gucci, son of the house’s founder Guccio Gucci, opened the first Gucci store in Milan. It was around the same time that the house’s classic green-red-green web became synonymous with the brand. Two years later in 1953, the first American store opened on East 58th street in New York City.
That same year saw the creation of the, now iconic, Horsebit. The Horsebit’s creation was based on details borrowed from the equestrian world. It joins two elements, a double ring and a bar, to create an instantly recognizable house code, which has since become a signature part of Gucci’s brand DNA. Though this detail has been reinvented with the introduction of the new Horsebit line, it was actually originally seen on a pair of loafers in 1953. Two years later, in 1955, the hardware was used on a handbag for the first time.
The original Horsebit bag is seen above, and though Michele used this vintage bag as inspiration, the shape and clean lines of the Gucci 1955 Horsebit Shoulder Bag were completely imagined by Michele himself. The line has been expanded to include multiple iterations of Horsebit bags including various shapes, sizes, fabrications and colors. You can discover them all via Gucci.com or check out some of our favorites below.
Gucci 1955 Horsebit Shoulder Bag ($2,300)
Gucci 1955 Horsebit Tote ($1,890)
Gucci 1955 Horsebit Snakeskin Shoulder Bag ($4,500)
Gucci 1955 Horsebit Small Satchel ($2,490)
Very interesting to read about! I’d love to se a series like this featuring different signature details from the different fashion houses! Like the not very recognizable lion head from Chanel, I have a winter scarf with it, and I’d love to learn more about it!
We are working on more for this category – history of the bag! We will for sure be sharing and I’ll see if I can find anything about that!
Please do one on the Longchamp Pliage — the bag owned by everyone from college students to billionaires! I would love to know how many have been sold since its debut.
What a fascinating read of history and dissemination of design. By that, I mean that during the early 80’s we were still manufacturing ladies’s casual shoes with enough “bling” on them which resembled those iconic emblems above. We were shameless about stealing designs to incorporate on our shoes, from overall style concepts to the “jewelry” we placed on the top of the vamps. ??
Ya can’t go wrong with the Horsebit emblem; pure class.
The shape of the bag isn’t new at all. The same shape was used with different kinds of horsebit clasps in at least two prior iterations. I just bought a vintage version from the 70s on Etsy. The older ones had the Gucci crest stamped on the inside and had an interior zipper charm. Do a Google image search for “vintage Gucci 1955 bag” and the older versions come up.
Circa 1995 when the Gucci murder took place as seen in House of Gucci, I was able to acquire what most likely is a one of a kind Gucci crossbody horsebit handbag. It is caramel color leather with a rounded bottom, gold hardware, flat fringe,and a reversible strap. It may have been liquidated from the private collection of the Gucci family or a sample that was never produced…a true collector’s item for the serious Gucci collector!