The Flora pattern from Gucci debuted on bags in 2005, but the history of this iconic print goes back many decades, to a very special custom gift for a very special person: Princess Grace of Monaco.
It all started when Princess Grace bought a green Gucci bag from the flagship Milan store. This was a pretty big deal back in the day, since before Grace became a princess when she married Prince Rainer III of Monaco, she was Grace Kelly, an Academy Award winning actress who starred in such classics as “Rear Window,” “Dial M for Murder,” and “To Catch a Thief” alongside Cary Grant.
Rodolfo Gucci, Guccio Gucci’s son, was intent on giving her a gift for her support and asked her to choose one. She requested a scarf, but as Rodolfo felt that nothing he had on hand fit the bill for royalty. So he commissioned illustrator Vittorio Accornero to design a floral scarf. Accornero was a textile designer for House of Gucci and he came back with a floral patter on a white background which included 37 colors and a wide array of flora and fauna, including daffodils, poppies, butterflies and beetles.