VIVAnews - Sebuah gen 'merah' yang bertanggung jawab di balik kemarahan, tindakan kekerasan dan agresivitas seseorang telah diidentifikasi para ahli. Alkohol mempengaruhi terjadinya mutasi gen di otak penyebab perilaku impulsif.
Para peneliti mengurai DNA dari sejumlah responden impulsif dan membandingkannya dengan orang non-impulsif. Dari situ ditemukan sebuah gen DNA tunggal yang dikenal dengan HTR2B. Gen inilah yang menyebabkan perilaku yang sangat impulsif.
Gen mempengaruhi produksi serotonin di otak yang berefek pada banyak perilaku, termasuk impulsif.
"Kami menemukan bahwa varian genetik saja tidak cukup untuk menyebabkan orang untuk bertindak impulsif," kata Dr David Goldman dari National Institute Maryland.
Dari temuannya, varian gen berada di belakang kejahatan impulsif manusia akibat pengaruh alkohol. Bekerja sama dengan para peneliti Finlandia dan Prancis, Dr Goldman dan rekannya mempelajari contoh pelaku pidana kekerasan di Finlandia.
Ciri kejahatan kekerasan yang dilakukan oleh individu dalam sampel penelitian adalah mereka melakukan dengan spontan dan tak terencana. Mereka menemukan hubungan bahwa pria adalah pembawa gen HTR2B.
Dan studi terhadap tikus membuktikan saat gen ini diblokir, tikus akan menjadi lebih agresif dan impulsif.
"Impulsif merupakan faktor dalam perilaku patologis, termasuk bunuh diri, agresi, dan kecanduan. Namun sifat ini berguna saat mengambil keputusan cepat dengan risiko di dalamnya," kata Dr Goldman seperti dimuat dalam Telegraph.
Merkurius, kini jadi planet terkecil yang ada di tata surya.
Selasa, 28 Desember 2010, 15:38 WIB
VIVAnews - Tahun 2006 lalu, International Astronomical Union (IAU) mendegradasi Pluto dari planet menjadi sebuah planet kerdil (dwarf planet). Alasannya, dari sisi ukuran, Pluto tidak memenuhi syarat sebagai untuk disebut sebagai sebuah planet. Saat ini sistem tata surya tinggal memiliki delapan planet yang mengelilingi Matahari. Akan tetapi, dari bukti-bukti baru yang ditemukan, ke depannya bisa jadi tata surya hanya akan terdiri dari 7 buah planet saja. Dari sisi ukuran, Merkurius memang dua kali lebih besar dibanding Pluto. Namun ternyata, Merkurius, yang kini menjadi planet terkecil yang ada di tata surya itu juga semakin menciut. Peneliti memperkirakan, Merkurius memang tidak akan jadi sekecil mantan planet kesembilan milik tata surya. Akan tetapi jika ukurannya terus mengecil, IAU tentu akan mendegradasi status planet itu. Penyebab menciutnya ukuran Merkurius adalah karena inti planet itu yang terdiri dari zat besi cair terus mendingin dan memadat sehingga menciutkan ukuran planet itu dari dalam. Menurut peneliti, pergerakan ini sudah berlangsung sejak miliaran tahun yang lalu. Penciutan Merkurius juga terlihat dari foto-foto milik satelit Messenger milik NASA yang menggambarkan terjadi lipatan di kerak planet itu. Dari foto juga terungkap bahwa dulu, Merkurius punya banyak gunung berapi yang meletus. Adapun yang mematikan gunung itu adalah karena inti planet semakin dingin. “Merkurius menunjukkan pada kita berapa besar pengaruh pendinginan inti planet terhadap evolusi yang terjadi di permukaan,” kata Sean Solomon, peneliti dari Carnegie Institution for Science, di Washington, seperti dikutip dari LA Times, 28 Desember 2010. Sama seperti Mars dan Bulan, Merkurius sangat berapi saat ia lahir. Namun planet itu kehilangan panasnya sejalan dengan pertumbuhannya selama sekitar 4,5 miliar tahun terakhir yang menghentikan aktivitas vulkanik di sana. Sebagai informasi, planet Bumi juga mengalami pendinginan dengan cara yang serupa. Dan dalam waktu beberapa miliar tahun mendatang, Bumi juga akan terlalu dingin untuk gunung berapi. Setelah inti bumi semakin dingin, gunung-gunung berapi di Bumi akan berhenti meletus.
Walikota frustasi dan minta bantuan militer. Jika perlu tentara datang pada Desember 2012.
Kamis, 23 Desember 2010, 06:20 WIB
Elin Yunita Kristanti
VIVAnews - Seorang walikota di Prancis frustasi dan meminta bantuan militer untuk mengusir para pemburu UFO yang terus berdatangan ke wilayahnya.
Tak hanya itu, ia juga kesal menghadapi arus kedatangan orang-orang yang meyakini wilayah itu satu dari sedikit wilayah di Bumi yang akan selamat dari kiamat.
Picturesque Bugarach berada di wilayah Aude di selatan Prancis. Sebuah desa kecil yang damai yang hanya dihuni 189 orang.
Namun, dalam beberapa bulan terakhir, ketenangan para penduduknya terusik pendatang yang yakin kaki gunung Pic de Bugarach, yang tingginya 4.000 kaki, adalah sarang alien.
Desas-desus beredar bahwa alien menetap di sebuah lokasi di bawah gunung, menunggu saat berakhirnya dunia, dan menyelamatkan beberapa orang yang beruntung. Ada juga yang menganggap gunung itu keramat dan akan terhindar dari kehancuran pada 21 Desember 2012, akhir penanggalan Bangsa Maya.
"Jika tiba-tiba 10.000 orang datang besok, penduduk desa yang kurang dari 200 orang bakal kewalahan," kata Jean-Pierre Delord seperti dimuat Daily Mail, Rabu 22 Desember 2010.
"Aku telah memberitahu pihak berwenang dan kami ingin tentara berada menanganinya. Jika perlu, militer datang ke sini pada Desember 2012."
Menurut dia, kecemasan penduduk bertambah saat mengetahui sebuah situs di Amerika Serikat menjual tiket menuju Bugarach. "Mereka melakukan bisnis, mengorganisasi orang untuk wisata religi, berdoa, dan meditasi di sini," kata dia.
Diceritakan Delord, orang-orang mulai datang ke wilayahnya saat seorang penduduk lokal melaporkan penampakan UFO. "Dia mengaku melihat alien dan mendengar dengung pesawat mereka di bawah gunung."
Rumor tersebut diperkuat dugaan bahwa peramal Prancis, Nostradamus pernah tinggal di wilayah itu pada abad ke-16. Juga isu penemuan galian misterius Nazi di sana.
Tak hanya sekadar datang, sejumlah orang yang percaya keajaiban desa itu bahkan membeli properti di kaki gunung tersebut. Kursus soal UFO juga mulai ditawarkan di sana.
Valerie Austin, yang pindah dari Newcastle 22 tahun lalu mengatakan, Bugarach adalah daerah yang indah dan tenang. "Sekarang, Anda bisa menjumpai orang sedang berdoa dan bermeditasi di mana pun."
Great White Spot merupakan fenomena serupa seperti Great Red Spot di planet Jupiter.
Kamis, 30 Desember 2010, 00:56 WIB
Muhammad Firman
Bintik di planet Saturnus yang ternyata merupakan badai raksasa
VIVAnews - Saat planet Bumi berkali-kali mengalami serangan badai dahsyat, Saturnus ternyata sering mengalami badai yang berkali-kali lipat lebih mengerikan. Misalnya pemunculan Great White Spot, sebuah bintik yang kerap terlihat di Saturnus.
Dari pemantauan yang dilakukan oleh satelit Cassini pada Saturnus, ternyata, Great White Spot merupakan badai berukuran raksasa, berukuran hingga mencapai ribuan kilometer, yang melintas di kawasan selatan planet tersebut.
Great White Spot merupakan fenomena serupa seperti Great Red Spot yang terjadi di planet Jupiter.
Di Saturnus, badai raksasa itu hadir setiap sekitar 28,5 tahun sekali. Sebelumnya, badai ini pernah hadir tahun 1876, 1903, 1933, 1960, dan 1990. Artinya, badai berikutnya diperkirakan baru akan hadir di tahun 2018 mendatang.
Meski begitu, ada juga badai yang kadang muncul di luar siklus rutin badai, misalnya di tahun 1994 dan 2006 lalu. Seperti dikutip dari MSN, 29 Desember 2010, pada malam Natal lalu, Cassini kembali menemukan munculnya badai di Saturnus.
“Badai seperti ini diperkirakan muncul akibat ketidakstabilan suhu yang melontarkan berton-ton material dari atmosfir bawah planet ke bagian atas atmosfir,” kata Carolyn Porco, peneliti dari Space Science Institute. “Saat badai ini bersinggungan dengan siklus badai rutin yang setiap 28 tahun, ia menjadi sangat raksasa hingga dapat mengitari seluruh planet,” ucapnya.
Seperti saat ini, Porco menyebutkan, kamera pada Cassini berhasil menangkap badai raksasa yang hadir di kawasan utara Saturnus. “Secara teknis, kami belum mengetahui apakah badai ini akan berkembang menjadi Great White Spot,” ucap Porco.
“Namun, meski tidak mendapat reputasi ‘great’ badai yang terjadi di Saturnus ini lusinan kali lipat lebih besar dibanding badai dahsyat yang hadir di Bumi,” ucapnya.
VIVAnews - Sekelompok peneliti laut dalam asal Italia dan Denmark menemukan hewan multiseluler yang melangsungkan seluruh hidupnya tanpa menghirup oksigen.
Kelompok peneliti itu menemukan tiga spesies Loricifera (hewan serupa ubur-ubur berukuran panjang kurang dari satu milimeter) di endapan cekungan L’Atalante, sebuah kawasan perairan asin tak beroksigen di kedalaman 3000 meter, dasar laut Mediterrania, atau laut tengah.
Ketika Antonio Pusceddu, peneliti dari Marche Polytechnic University, Italia, dan rekan-rekannya menemukan Loricifera tersebut, mereka memperkirakan bahwa hewan itu jatuh ke dasar laut setelah hewan itu mati.
“Kami kira sangatlah tidak mungkin mereka bisa hidup di sana,” kata Pusceddu, seperti dikutip dari Discovermagazine, 27 Desember 2010. Akan tetapi, dari uji coba yang dilakukan pada dua ekspedisi berikutnya, diketahui bahwa hewan yang ditemukan itu masih hidup.
Pusceddu menyebutkan, Loricifera memiliki cara adaptasi yang unik terhadap lingkungan bebas oksigen.
Hewan ini tidak memiliki mitochondria (sel yang mampu mengonversi oksigen menjadi energi seperti yang ada di seluruh sel hewan lainnya). Akan tetapi mereka menggunakan struktur yang menyerupai hydrogenosom, organ yang menggunakan mikroba untuk menghasilkan energi.
Yang menarik, temuan ini membuka kemungkinan adanya kehidupan hewan yang lebih kompleks di lingkungan keras bebas oksigen lainnya. Baik di Bumi ataupun di tempat-tempat lain. (hs)
Seekor goonch berukuran 1,8 meter dan berat 75,5 kilogram berhasil ditangkap.
Rabu, 29 Desember 2010, 11:54 WIB
VIVAnews - Sejak tahun 1998 hingga 2007, tiga orang lenyap tenggelam mendadak di Great Kali River, sungai yang melintang di perbatasan antara Nepal dan India utara. Hal ini sangat aneh karena kawasan itu bukanlah habitat buaya dan predator air lain.
Terakhir, dari saksi mata yang melihat kejadian, seorang anak terlihat diseret ke dalam air oleh sesuatu yang tampak seperti babi berukuran panjang. Setelah itu, korban tidak pernah terlihat lagi, hidup atau mati. Demikian pula sisa-sisa tubuh ataupun pakaiannya.
Kasus-kasus itu memicu Jeremy Wade, biolog asal Inggris untuk mengamati apa yang ada di dalam sungai tersebut. Pasalnya, serangan hanya terjadi di kawasan tertentu, sepanjang sekitar 6 sampai 8 kilometer. Kawasan itu, menurut keterangan penduduk, merupakan kawasan di mana mereka biasa melarungkan jasad saudara-saudara mereka yang telah meninggal setelah dibakar.
Setelah meneliti menggunakan alat pengukur kedalaman, ia memastikan tidak ada lubang ditemukan, artinya serangan tidak diakibatkan oleh turbulensi yang terjadi di air.
Benar saja, tak lama setelah itu, dari jarak sekitar 1 kilometer dari serangan terakhir, seekor kerbau yang sedang minum di sungai yang hanya memiliki kedalaman 1 meter diserang dan diseret oleh sesuatu dari dalam air.
“Apapun yang mampu menyeret kerbau sebesar itu pasti memiliki ukuran dan bobot seberat 90 sampai 140 kilogram,” ucap Wade, seperti dikutip dari Discovery, 29 Desember 2010.
Dalam penelitian bawah air, Wade menemukan goonch catfish, serupa ikan lele yang memiliki panjang satu meter. Namun ikan itu gagal ditangkap. Penelitian lebih lanjut, diketahui bahwa terdapat beberapa kelompok goonch dan enam di antaranya berukuran sebesar manusia.
Setelah gagal menangkap ikan itu dengan alat pemancing, Wade coba memancing pemunculan ikan itu menggunakan seonggok kayu bakar dan disusun seolah-olah merupakan bekas kremasi jasad orang meninggal. Ternyata sukses.
Seekor goonch berukuran panjang 1,8 meter dan berbobot 75,5 kilogram, atau 3 kali lebih berat dibanding goonch lainnya berhasil ditangkap. Ikan ini diperkirakan cukup besar dan kuat untuk memakan seorang anak kecil, namun tak cukup besar untuk menyeret dan menyantap seekor kerbau.
Dari keterangan penduduk, Wade menyimpulkan bahwa ‘ikan lele’ itu telah bermutasi menjadi berselera terhadap daging manusia. Ikan juga tumbuh menjadi raksasa setelah terus mengonsumsi daging setengah matang sisa-sisa jasad manusia yang dilarungkan dan tenggelam di dasar sungai.
Gucci generated circa €2.2 billion worldwide of revenue in 2008 according to BusinessWeek magazine and climbed to 41st position in the magazine's annual 2009 "Top Global 100 Brands" chart created by Interbrand. Gucci is also the biggest-selling Italian brand. Gucci operates about 278 directly operated stores worldwide (as of September 2009) and it wholesales its products through franchisees and upscale department stores.
History
Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci. In 1938, Gucci expanded and a boutique was opened in Rome. Guccio was responsible for designing many of the company's products. In 1947, Gucci introduced the Bamboosuedemoccasin with a metal horsebit. handle handbag, which is still a company mainstay. During the 1950s, Gucci also developed the trademark striped webbing, which was derived from the saddle girth, and the
His wife Aida Calvelli had a large family, though only the sons—Vasco, Aldo, Ugo, and Rodolfo—would play a role in leading the company. After Guccio's death in 1953, Aldo helped lead the company to a position of International prominence, opening the company’s first boutique in New York. Rodolfo initially tried to start an acting career as a matinee idol but soon returned to help direct the company. Even in Gucci’s fledgling years, the family was notorious for its ferocious infighting[citation needed]. Disputes regarding inheritances, stock holdings, and day-to-day operations of the stores often divided the family and led to alliances. Gucci expanded overseas, board meetings about the company’s future often ended with tempers flaring and luggage and purses flying[citation needed]. Gucci targeted the Far East for further expansion in the late 1960s, opening stores in Hong Kong and Tokyo. At that time, the company also developed its famous GG logo (Guccio Gucci's initials), the Flora silk scarf (worn prominently by HollywoodactressGrace Kelly), and the Jackie O shoulder bag, made famous by Jackie Kennedy[citation needed], the wife of U.S. PresidentJohn F. Kennedy.
Gucci remained one of the premier luxury goods establishments until the late 1970s[citation needed], when a series of disastrous business decisions and family quarrels brought the company to the verge of bankruptcy[citation needed]. At the time, brothers Aldo and Rodolfo controlled equal 50% shares of the company, though Rodolfo contributed less to the company than Aldo and his sons did[citation needed]. At this time Aldo initiate his grandson Uberto Gucci to join the family company , where in the 1984, takes the leads as VicePresident in the GUCCI PARFUMES BRANCH. In 1979, Aldo developed the Gucci Accessories Collection, or GAC[citation needed], intended to bolster the sales for the Gucci Perfumes sector, which his sons controlled. GAC consisted of small accessories, such as cosmetic bags, lighters, and pens, which were priced at considerably lower points than the other items in the company’s accessories catalog. Aldo relegated control of Perfumes to his son Roberto in an effort to weaken Rodolfo’s control of the overall operations of the company[citation needed].
Though the Gucci Accessories Collection was well received, it proved to be the force that brought the Gucci dynasty crashing down. Within a few years, the Perfumes division began outselling the Accessories division. The newly-founded wholesaling business had brought the once-exclusive brand to over a thousand stores in the United States alone with the GAC line, deteriorating the brand’s standing with fashionable customers. "In the 1960s and 1970s," writes Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, "Gucci had been at the pinnacle of chic, thanks to icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Jacqueline Onassis. But by the 1980s, Gucci had lost its appeal, becoming a tacky airport brand."[citation needed]
Soon, cheap knockoffs of Gucci wares had appeared on the market, further tarnishing the Gucci name. Meanwhile, infighting was taking its toll on the operations of the company back in Italy: Rodolfo and Aldo squabbled over the Perfumes division[citation needed], of which Rodolfo controlled a meager 20% stake. Meanwhile, when Paolo Gucci, Aldo's son, proposed a cheaper version of the brand called 'Gucci Plus' in 1983 he fell out with the family. There was a boardroom quarrel that ended in a fistfight[citation needed], and Paolo was reportedly knocked senseless by a telephone answering machine in the hand of one of his brothers. In return he reported his own father for tax evasion to the United States revenue, and Aldo was convicted and imprisoned on the testimony of his own son.[citation needed] By now, the outrageous headlines of gossip magazines generated as much publicity for Gucci as its designs.[citation needed]
Rodolfo’s death in 1983 caused a major shakeup in the company when he left his 50% stake in Gucci to his son, Maurizio Gucci. Maurizio allied with Aldo’s son Paolo to gain control of the Board of Directors and established the Gucci Licensing division in the Netherlands for this purpose. Following the decision, the rest of the family left the company except for Aldo Grandson Uberto that was the only young Gucci generation involved in the family business. Maurizio sought to bury the fighting that had torn the company and his family apart and turned to talent outside of the company for Gucci’s future.[citation needed]
Corporate
A turnaround of the company devised in the late 1980s made Gucci one of the world's most influential fashion houses[citation needed] and a highly profitable business operation[citation needed]. In October 1995 Gucci went public and had its first initial public offering on the AMEX and NYSE for $22 per share. November 1997 also proved to be a successful year as Gucci acquired a watch licensee, Severin-Montres, and renamed it Gucci Timepieces. The firm was named "European Company of the Year 1998" by the European Business Press Federation for its economic and financial performance, strategic vision as well as management quality. Gucci world offices and headquarters are in Florence, Milan, Paris, London, Hong Kong, Japan and New York. PPR headquarters are in Paris.
New management
Gucci clutch designed under creative direction of Tom Ford
In 1989, Maurizio managed to persuade Dawn Mello, whose revival of New York's Bergdorf Goodman in the 1970s made her a star in the retail business, to join the newly formed Gucci Group as Executive Vice President and Creative Director Worldwide. At the helm of Gucci America was Domenico De Sole, a former lawyer who helped oversee Maurizio’s takeover of ten 1987 and 1989. The last addition to the creative team, which already included designers from Geoffrey Beene and Calvin Klein, was a young designer named Tom Ford.
Raised in Texas and New Mexico, he had been interested in fashion since his early teens but only decided to pursue a career as a designer after dropping out of Parsons School of Design in 1986 as an architecture major. Dawn Mello hired Ford in 1990 at the urging of his partner, writer and editor Richard Buckley.
In the early 1990s, Gucci underwent what is now recognized as the poorest time in the company's history. Maurizio riled distributors, Investcorp shareholders, and executives at Gucci America by drastically reining in on the sales of the Gucci Accessories Collection, which in the United States alone generated $110 million in revenue every year. The company’s new accessories failed to pick up the slack, and for the next three years the company experienced heavy losses and teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. Maurizio was a charming man who passionately loved his family's business, but after four years most of the company's senior managers agreed that he was incapable of running the company. His management had had an adverse effect on the desirability of the brand, product quality, and distribution control. He was forced to sell his shares in the company to Investcorp in August 1993. Dawn Mello returned to her job at Bergdorf Goodman less than a year after Maurizio’s departure, and the position of creative director went to Tom Ford, then just 32 years old. Ford had worked for years under the direction of Maurizio and Mello and wanted to take the company’s image in a new direction. De Sole, who had been elevated to President and Chief Executive Officer of Gucci Group NV, realized that if Gucci was to become a profitable company, it would require a new image, and so he agreed to pursue Ford’s vision.
In early 1999 the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, headed by Bernard Arnault, increased its shareholdings in Gucci with a view to a takeover. Domenico De Sole was incensed by the news and declined Arnault’s request for a spot on the board of directors, where he would have access to Gucci’s confidential earnings reports, strategy meetings, and design concepts. De Sole reacted by issuing new shares of stock in an effort to dilute the value of Arnault’s holdings. He also approached French holding company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR) about the possibility of forming a strategic alliance. Francois Pinault, the company’s founder, agreed to the idea and purchased 37 million shares in the company, or a 40% stake. Arnault’s share was diluted to a paltry 20%, and a legal battle ensued to challenge the legitimacy of the new Gucci-PPR partnership, with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom representing Gucci. Courts in the Netherlands ultimately upheld the PPR deal, as it did not violate that country's business laws. The second largest shareholder is Crédit Lyonnais with 11%. As of September 2001 a settlement agreement was put into place between Gucci Group, LVMH, and PPR.
Following Ford's departure, Gucci Group retained three designers to continue the success of the company's flagship label: John Ray, Alessandra Facchinetti and Frida Giannini, all of whom had worked under Ford's creative direction. Facchinetti was elevated to Creative Director of Womenswear in 2004 and designed for two seasons before leaving the company. Ray served as Creative Director of Menswear for three years. 32-year-old Giannini, who had been responsible for designing men's and women's accessories, currently serves as Creative Director for the entire brand.
Frida Giannini, formerly Creative Director of accessories, is named sole Creative Director in 2006. In 2009, Patrizio di Marco replaces Mark Lee as CEO of Gucci.
Children's Line
Gucci’s president and chief executive officer Patrizio di Marco revealed that Gucci is set to launch a children’s line in June 2010. The line will initially be unveiled in Italy and to 40 stores around the world. Frida Giannini serves as the creative director of the line. Giannini has been applauded on her fresh, feminine take on contemporary fashion. Born in Rome in 1972 to an architect father and art history professor mother she studied fashion design at Rome's Fashion Academy. Once she completed her education she went on to apprentice at a small-scale fashion house. In 1997 Giannini began a career at fashion house Fendi, where after just three seasons of designing for ready-to-wear she was promoted to designer of leather goods. In 2002 she moved to Gucci as director of handbags, and in 2004 was promoted to designer of all accessories. A year later in 2005 the designer was promoted to creative director of women's ready-to-wear at Gucci, in addition to her role as designer of accessories. In 2006 Giannini was named creative director of the label when she became responsible for design of menswear. In addition to clothing design, she has also developed retail concepts for Gucci stores, and creative control of advertising.
American Motors Corporation
Aldo Gucci expanded into new markets including an agreement with American Motors Corporation (AMC). The 1972 and 1973 AMC Hornet compact "Sportabout" station wagon became one of the first American cars to offer a special luxury trim package created by a famous fashion designer. The Gucci cars sported boldly striped green, red, and buff upholstery and on the door panels, as well as the designer's emblems and exterior color selections. American Motors also offered a Pierre Cardin Edition of its Javelin automobile.
General Motors
In 1979 and 1980, a Miami-based aftermarket company offered the Cadillac Seville by Gucci edition. The exterior included a "facing double G" Gucci logo as a hood ornament and the c-pillar covered vinyl roof. The interior had a headliner of the logo and headrests adorned with the logo as well. The dashboard carried the "Gucci script" logo in bold lettering. Inside the trunk was a full set of Gucci luggage.
Ford Motor Company
A 1989 Gucci Series Lincoln Town Car was scheduled to be offered, per pricing guides, but never came to fruition. Lincoln offered Emilio Pucci, Bill Blass, Gianni Versace, Hubert de Givenchy, and Valentino designer editions during the 1970s and 1980s.
Partnerships
Gucci has had a partnership with UNICEF since 2005. Gucci stores worldwide donate a percentage of the sales for special collections made specifically for UNICEF to go toward the United Nations Children's Fund. The annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF supports education, healthcare, protection and clean water programs for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. For the campaign in 2009, Michael Roberts promoted a children's book, "Snowman in Africa" with proceeds going to UNICEF. In five years, Gucci donated over $7 million to UNICEF. Gucci is the largest corporate donor to UNICEF's "Schools for Africa" that was established in 2004 by UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and the Hamburg Society. Its goal is to increase access to basic schooling for all, with a special emphasis on children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and children living in extreme poverty.
Record
In 1998 Guinness World Records cites the Gucci "Genius Jeans" as the most expensive pair of jeans in existence. These jeans were distressed, ripped and covered with African beads and were offered for sale for US$3,134 in Milan. This record has since been surpassed.
