Sergio Rossi

Sergio Rossi
Industry Luxury goods
Founded 1966
Founder Sergio Rossi
Headquarters Milan, Italy
Key people
 Francesco Russo, Christophe Mélard
Parent Kering
Website www.sergiorossi.com

Sergio Rossi is an Italian women’s footwear specialist company that also produces a limited range of men’s shoes, handbags and other accessories. The brand is renowned for its craftsmanship and feminine designs. The Sergio Rossi label is owned by the French Group Kering. Francesco Russo has been the Creative Director of Sergio Rossi since October 2008. Christophe Mélard was appointed President and CEO of Sergio Rossi in May 2009.

Sergio Rossi boutique, Via Montenapoleone Milano

The origins

The creator

Sergio Rossi was born in 1935[1] 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 a great artisan.[2] Sergio Rossi built his factory in San Mauro Pascoli in 1966, and the company still produces there until this day. In the early years, Sergio Rossi worked through the winter making sandals that he would later sell on the beaches of Rimini and to boutiques in Bologna. One such model, the Opanca[1] was one of the most popular, a simple and daring sandal in which the sole curved gently around the foot, blending with the upper part of the shoe. Two years later, in 1968 the first shoes bearing the Sergio Rossi signature were produced.[1]

Francesco Russo has been the Creative Director of Sergio Rossi since October 2008. Trained at Milan’s Marangoni Institute, Francesco has created shoes for Miu Miu and Costume National, and began working with Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent in 2000. Christophe Mélard was appointed President and CEO of Sergio Rossi n May 2009

Birth of the brand

Boutique Sergio Rossi, rue De Grenelle Paris

The brand grew in popularity in the 1970s and beyond, through collaborations with noted fashion designers, including Dolce & Gabbana,[2] Versace, & Azzedine Alaïa.[3] Sergio Rossi shoes became a mainstay at the Milan fashion shows. Sergio Rossi’s early advertising campaigns were greatly 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.

The company development

International expansion

In 1980, the brand began expanding, the first boutique to bear his name opened in Ancona, and then boutiques opening in Turin, Florence, Rome, Brussels, New York, Los Angeles, and London.[2] The brand also opened a showroom in Milan in 1995.

Acquisition

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%, retaining full control of the Sergio Rossi brand.

Retail organization

Today the brand controls a retail network of 79 retail outlets worldwide,[4] plus an e-commerce website in the United States. In April 2011, Sergio Rossi started to open several dedicated men’s stores in collaboration with Wallpaper*: Milan, designed by Antonino Cardillo,[5] Casablanca and Tokyo. Since fall 2011 several of the brand’s stores have been redesigned with a new store concept developed in collaboration with Ilse Crawford.[6]

Special Projects

The Eco Pump

In 2009, in a move to demonstrate that luxury 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. Part of the proceeds from its sale are being given to GoodPlanet.org.[7]

The Cachet Pump

The iconic product from Sergio Rossi is the Cachet pump. The silhouette was created by Francesco Russo, the current creative director for the wedding of Salma Hayek to Francois Henri-Pinault,[8] CEO of PPR. The unique shape is now a signature item of every Sergio Rossi collection, reinvented each season in various materials and colors.

Celebrities and Posterity

Sergio Rossi shoes have long been a staple on the red carpet, worn by celebrities like Eva Longoria, Sharon Stone, Diane Kruger, Ludivine Sagnier,[9] Anne Hathaway,[10] Karolina Kurkova,[11] Amanda Seyfried,[12] Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Naomi Campbell, Sarah Jessica Parker. The brand is also a favorite among fashion editors Anna Dello Russo and Carine Roitfield.

Various shoes from Sergio Rossi have appeared in the following artworks :

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (French)Clais, Anne-Marie (2008), Assouline, ed., Sergio Rossi (in French), p. 73, ISBN 978-2759401277
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The world of Sergio Rossi - Brand - History". Archived from the original on 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  3. ↑ (French) « Sergio Rossi est un créateur de chaussures italien, un vrai chausseur à l'ancienne. » sur Modefix
  4. ↑ "Sergio Rossi - Store Locator". sergiorossi.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  5. ↑ "Wallpaper* and Sergio Rossi collaboration | Architecture | Wallpaper* Magazine". wallpaper.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  6. ↑ "Home - How To Spend It". howtospendit.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  7. ↑ Hannah Shakir (2009). "STYLE FEATURE: treading carefully". Glass Magazine. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  8. ↑ Binkley, Christina (2011-12-20). "Annals of Oops: Sergio Rossi Got the Wrong Cachet". The Wall Street Journal.
  9. ↑ Clais, Anne-Marie (2008), Assouline, ed., Sergio Rossi (in French), p. 5, ISBN 978-2759401277
  10. ↑ "June 9, 2014 - Jessica Alba - InStyle.com". fashiondesigners.instyle.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  11. ↑ "Karolina Kurkova lace ses gambettes dans des sandales Sergio Rossi.". puretrend.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  12. ↑ http://www.chaussurestar.com/amanda-seyfried-en-sergio-rossi/
  13. ↑ Clais, Anne-Marie (2008), Assouline, ed., Sergio Rossi (in French), p. 20, ISBN 978-2759401277
  14. ↑ "Beyoncé is So Couture in ‘Run The World (Girls)’ | Ericka Dukes". erickadukes.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  15. ↑ "Les escarpins Sergio Rossi de Blair Waldorf font le style chic - Brandsonair.com". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2014-06-09.

External links