Sergio Rossi

Sergio Rossi is an Italian women's footwear company that also produces handbags and other accessories. The brand is known for its craftsmanship and feminine designs. The Sergio Rossi label was owned by the French group Kering until it was sold to Italian buyout firm Investindustrial in December 2015.[1]

For this company’s founder, see Sergio Rossi (shoe designer).

Sergio Rossi
IndustryLuxury goods
Founded1951 (1951)
San Mauro Pascoli, Italy
FounderSergio Rossi
Headquarters
San Mauro Pascoli, Italy
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Riccardo Sciutto
ParentInvestIndustrial
Websitewww.sergiorossi.com

History

Founding
Boutique Sergio Rossi, via Montenapoleone

Sergio Rossi was born in 1935[2] in the town of San Mauro Pascoli, in the Romagna region of Italy. He inherited from his father, a shoemaker, the tools and the traditions of an artisan.[3] Rossi built his factory in San Mauro Pascoli in 1951,[4][5] In the early years, he worked through the winter making sandals that he would later sell[6] on the beaches of Rimini and to boutiques in Bologna. One such model, the Opanca[2] was one of the most popular. After a couple of years, the first shoes bearing the Sergio Rossi signature were produced,[2] marking the first official collection.[7] According to Vogue, during the 1960s, the company, “quickly became synonymous with Italian quality and classic feminine designs.”[8]

Rossi died on 3 April 2020, of complications from COVID-19.[9][5][10]

Company development

Sergio Rossi shoes became known for their use of geometrics and color.[11] The brand grew in popularity in the 1970s and beyond, through collaborations with fashion designers, including Dolce & Gabbana,[3] Versace, and Azzedine Alaïa.[12] Sergio Rossi shoes became a mainstay at the Milan fashion shows. In 1980, the brand began expanding, the first shop to bear his name opened in Ancona, and then shops opening in Turin, Florence, Rome, Brussels, New York City, Los Angeles, and London.[3] The brand also opened a showroom in Milan in 1995.[13]

In 1999, PPR Luxury Division, formerly known as Gucci Group, bought a 70% stake in the company for approximately $96 million. 6 years later, in 2005, PPR bought the remaining 30%, taking full control of the brand.[14] In 2015 the company was sold to Investindustrial, a private equity firm that also owned Aston Martin.[7] Francesco Russo was the creative director between 2008 and 2013 when Angelo Ruggeri became the design director, holding the position until 2016.[15] In 2016, Andrea Morante became company president, and Riccardo Sciutto CEO.[16]

Design

Sergio Rossi shoes take a minimum of 120 different steps and 14 hours to create. The Wall Street Journal wrote of the process that, “building a shoe involves high-pressure nail guns, screws, heat-dried glues, sanding, painting, buffing, chiseling, and plenty of loud machinery. Leather and other materials are stretched around the lasts, then nailed, glued and molded in layers.”[17]

In 2009, in a move to demonstrate that luxury goods and fashion can be combined with sustainability, Sergio Rossi launched the Eco Pump, a biodegradable fashion shoe made using liquid wood (derived from lignin) in the heel and sole, and leather uppers tanned using eco sensitive tanners.[18] In 2015, Sergio Rossi partnered with Eco-Age to develop a Green Carpet Collection of environmentally sustainable wear designs.[19]

Sergio Rossi also produces leather handbags,[20] and in 2012 it launched its bridal collection of shoes.[21]

Campaigns

Sergio Rossi's early advertising campaigns were inspired by the work of Helmut Newton, using low-angled shots to highlight the length of the legs and body, and focusing on the height and shape of the heel.[22] In 2012, the company released a short-film, Skin to Skin, in collaboration with director Luca Guadagnino.[23]

gollark: Isn't the generator thing *your* code?
gollark: Idea: Minesweeper on arbitrary graphs.
gollark: The tile has two mines on it.
gollark: You would then lack a nice thing size reference.
gollark: I cannot conveniently draw on things, due to bee.

References
  1. Bloomberg businessoffashion.com Kering Sells Shoemaker Sergio Rossi to End Years of Struggle December 9, 2015
  2. (in French)Clais, Anne-Marie (2008), Assouline (ed.), Sergio Rossi (in French), p. 73, ISBN 978-2759401277
  3. "The world of Sergio Rossi - Brand - History". Archived from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2008.
  4. "Kering cède la marque de chaussures de luxe Sergio Rossi". 9 December 2015.
  5. Italian shoe designer, Sergio Rossi, died aged 84
  6. "Top Ten Italian Shoemakers".
  7. Armstrong, Ashley (9 December 2015). "Sergio Rossi sold to Aston Martin owner".
  8. Milligan, Lauren. "Is Sergio Rossi For Sale?".
  9. By Hada Messia; Duarte Mendonca; Amy Woodyatt. "Sergio Rossi, 'master' Italian shoe designer, dies of coronavirus complications at 84". CNN. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  10. Sergio Rossi Dies at 84
  11. "Designer Dossier: Gianvito Rossi". 26 July 2013.
  12. (in French) « Sergio Rossi est un créateur de chaussures italien, un vrai chausseur à l'ancienne. Archived October 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine » sur Modefix
  13. "Sergio Rossi Luxury Shoes Collection For Fall Winter 2012 2013".
  14. Milligan, Lauren. "Sergio Rossi Sold By Kering".
  15. Zargani, Luisa (31 May 2016). "Design Director Angelo Ruggeri Exits Sergio Rossi".
  16. Zargani, Luisa (11 February 2016). "Hogan's Riccardo Sciutto Said Heading to Sergio Rossi".
  17. Binkley, Christina (12 April 2012). "Pushing High Heels to the Limit". Wall Street Journal.
  18. Hannah Shakir (2009). "STYLE FEATURE: treading carefully". Glass Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  19. "Luxury Daily". 4 September 2015.
  20. Saide, Claudia (17 November 2015). "The Sergio Rossi Sample Sale Has 3,000 Pairs of Shoes".
  21. "Sergio Rossi Goes Bridal (BridesMagazine.co.uk)".
  22. "Sergio Rossi - Vogue.it".
  23. "Sergio Rossi Debuts Fall Shoes with Sexy Film". 27 February 2012.
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