The unveiling of Gucci ArtLab represents one of the most remarkable achievements of the Italian luxury house

Luxury house Gucci unveiled Gucci Art Lab, a centre of creativity, craftsmanship & sustainability. The 37,000-square- metre hub “craftsmanship and sustainable innovation” is situated in Casellina just outside of Florence.

As Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci explained, the unveiling of Gucci ArtLab definitely represents one of the most remarkable achievements of Gucci’s unprecedented journey of the last three years, and one of the most significant industrial investments today in our country.”

This futuristic center of industrial craftsmanship will serve as an experimental laboratory for leather goods and shoes. Located near the historical headquarters of the company outside of Florence in Casellina, the building’s outside walls are hand painted, featuring artworks by talents who have worked with the House, including Unskilled Worker, Jayde Fish, Ignasi Monreal, Phannapast, Angelica Hicks, Trevor Andrew and Coco Capitán.

“It is a testament to our belief in creativity, artisanal craftsmanship, innovation and technology, and sustainability, and our bond with our territory. I couldn’t be more grateful to all those who have made this dream come true, from the local and national authorities, to Kering, to all of our colleagues who have been so visionary in absorbing new ideas from best-practice all around the world, to further strengthen our leadership.”

“Gucci ArtLab,” concludes Bizzarri, “is the perfect expression of the corporate culture that we have been building and nurturing within the company. It is the tangible expression of a place to learn skills and techniques, a workshop to generate ideas, and ideas are the lifeblood of culture.”

The 800 people of the Gucci ArtLab lead by Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele will create, experiment, and test prototypes and samples from the leather goods, new materials, metal hardware and packaging segments.

The demand for Gucci’s items has nearly doubled in the last three years. This January, Alessandro Michele reopened the Gucci Museo in Florence and the Gucci Garden, considered the world’s most covetable gift shop.