The decisions that made it
The Concentration Risk · Business Model
Kering Looks Like a Luxury Portfolio. It's a Leveraged Bet on One House's Mood Swings.
Kering owns Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and more. Yet in 2022 one brand — Gucci — threw off €3.7B of the group's €5.6B operating income. When Gucci wobbled, group operating income fell 46% to €2.6B. That's not diversification. That's a single bet wearing a portfolio's clothes.
7 min
The Turnaround · Decision Forks
Gucci's Famous Comeback Had Two Engines. Everyone Remembers Only One.
Tom Ford gets the credit for saving a near-bankrupt Gucci in the 1990s. But the house that lost over $30 million in 1992 was rescued by two levers pulled at once — and Kering's current crisis, with Gucci revenue down 14% in early 2026, is proof of what happens when only one fires.
8 min
The Premiumization · Business Model
Gucci Called It "Premiumization." The Numbers Called It a Freefall.
Kering says Gucci is deliberately trading down volume for higher-end customers. But the brand's 2024 revenue fell 23% to €7.7B, and Kering fired its own creative director mid-reset. You can't tell elevation from collapse from the outside - and Kering couldn't either.
8 min