Expanding into luxury childrenswear is so 2011. Now plates are the new frontier, according to Gucci, which is in the process of acquiring a Tuscany-based ceramics company called Richard Ginori for $17.7 million. Founded in 1735, Ginori specializes in Florentine-style porcelain tableware and declared bankruptcy in January, WWD reports. Gucci's heroic takeover stems from a shared history: The two companies collaborated on a line of ceramics in the late seventies.
According to an official statement, Gucci's goal is "to protect and relaunch a historical Florentine brand, synonymous [with] quality and craftsmanship." Just imagine — your reward for joining the clean plate club could be a set of interlocking G's gazing up from beneath your fork, and now little Greta di Marco can eat her mushed peas off a nice porcelain Gucci plate before smearing the leftovers on her Gucci onesie! Lifestyle brand indeed.
Read more posts by Charlotte Cowles
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