A man thought he had picked up a bargain after thrifting a pair of vintage Gucci loafers for just $35, but that was only the beginning of the story.
Justin Lemay, from Quebec in Canada, picked up the shoes for just $50 Canadian dollars ($35) from his local thrift store. “It’s right next to my grocery store, so I stop in regularly,” Lemay told Newsweek. “I’m always looking for high-quality items, clothing and shoes, and these were hard to pass up.”
Lemay couldn’t believe how well-maintained the shoes were, more than 40 years on from when they were purchased, so jumped at the chance to buy them, even if there was one pretty significant issue.
“They were extremely clean, still had shoe trees inside, came with the original box and polishing cloth, and were basically in impeccable condition,” Lemay said. “The only downside is they’re about one size too small for me, but I couldn’t leave them behind.”
Clothing and apparel is one of the main drivers of the thrift store market. Figures published in September 2025 by Capital One Shopping showed around a third of all clothing and apparel items purchased in the U.S. over the previous 12 months were secondhand.
Lemay soon discovered he had done more than just add a vintage pair of shoes to his wardrobe, though. Taking the loafers home, he spotted something written on the soles of the shoes that changed everything: “Gucci, HECHO EN MEXICO 1966.”
Lemay had no knowledge of Gucci, an Italian brand, ever manufacturing in Mexico. But the quality of the shoes, coupled with the appearance of the words, “Manufacturado por Vomo S.A. DE C.V.” on the bottom of the box that came with them, convinced him to investigate.
“That sent me down a research rabbit hole,” he said. “During the 1960s, Gucci went through a strange period where the brand was heavily licensed and somewhat disorganized. At the same time, Mexico had import restrictions that made it difficult to bring in Italian luxury goods, even though there was strong demand in tourist areas.”
Lemay discovered Gucci licensed several companies to make bags, shoes, and other leather goods to be sold in Mexico at the time. “One member of the Gucci family reportedly had a residence in Mexico and worked with high-quality leather workshops in places like Guadalajara to produce leather goods locally for that market,” Lemay said.
Stunned at what he found, Lemay decided to post about his discovery to Reddit under the handle u/deletedis. It earned over 3,000 upvotes, with some users appearing to confirm the claims about Gucci’s work in Mexico.
“My mother used to work in the Gucci factory in Mexico!” one user wrote. “Leon, Guanajuato is the place to go for custom made cowboy boots. Makes sense they would’ve produced leather Gucci shoes too,” another posted.
Though some were skeptical, suggesting anything Gucci made outside of Italy would likely be fake or unofficial, Lemay said the craftsmanship of the shoes defies that. “These shoes are extremely well made,” he added, “in my opinion, comparable, and in some ways even better-built, than some Italian-made Gucci loafers from the same period, especially in the quality and softness of the leather and the cut.”
Learning more about the loafers’ likely origins have been a great experience for Lemay. “Part of what I love about thrifting is not just finding valuable or interesting items, but learning the history behind them,” he said. “Even if these don’t fit neatly into the typical ‘Made in Italy’ Gucci narrative, they represent a fascinating chapter of brand history.”
Lemay has earned plenty of praise for his thrift store purchase and has been reliably informed they are worth somewhere in the region of $350. The plan now is to sell them amid interest from collectors. “I’m curious to see where they end up,” he said.