FOREVER YOUNG
FOR A CENTURY, ITALIAN LUXURY HOUSE TOD’S HAS BEEN THE QUIET ACHIEVER OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY. NOW, WITH THE LAUNCH OF ITS BOLD “FACTORY” INITIATIVE AND THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CREATIVE DIRECTOR, IT’S READY TO STEP BACK INTO THE LIMELIGHT
Tod’s may be turning 100, but the luxury brand is still firmly in fashion’s spotlight.
in a fashion landscape where a hot new Instagram brand seems to pop up every five minutes and the shelf life of trending pieces has been reduced to three or four months (or sometimes a mere matter of weeks), it feels like style fatigue is at an all-time high. And with a growing push for conscious consumption, the fashion industry is now craving something a little more, well, classic. It’s in this spirit that revered heritage brands – such as storied Italian house Tod’s – are thriving.
Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Tod’s has built its reputation on an aversion to being flavour of the month. Instead, it sticks to a consistent core offering: keep-forever loafers, supple leather bags and soft cashmere coats, all handcrafted by Italian artisans using traditional techniques. “I attribute our success to the strength of our being 100 per cent made in Italy,” says longtime chairman Diego Della Valle. His grandfather Filippo, a shoemaker, launched the business in the early 20th century, but it was Della Valle who grew Tod’s into a billion-dollar fashion empire. The brand remains a family business. Della Vale took over the reins from his father Dorino, runs the company with his brother Andrea and commissioned his architect wife Barbara to design the brand’s headquarters in Italy’s Casette d’ete. “The ethos of the brand has always been about modern luxury, with high-quality items that have an international taste, filtered through the Italian lifestyle,” he says.
That obsession with modern luxury was on full display at the brand’s SS20 show, a tightly edited 34-look collection featuring sharp suiting teamed with chunky flat sandals, leather bomber jackets and calf-skimming pleated wrap skirts. It was the last collection from the label’s in-house team, with Walter Chiapponi – who cut his teeth at Gucci and Bottega Veneta – announced as the new creative director the following month. “It’s a great honour to work for this group,” Chiapponi said at the time. “Tod’s is a brand that has always represented an excellence in the international panorama of Italian quality and style. Being able to contribute to the development of this Italian lifestyle is, for me, a challenge and a reason to be proud.”
Della Valle was equally thrilled about the appointment. “Walter Chiapponi is a talented Italian creative who knows and is able to combine the Tod’s Italian lifestyle with a touch of modernity, without ever losing sight of the high quality and craftsmanship that represents the brand’s DNA.”
It’s a period of change for the enduring brand, which has also launched a daring project called “Tod’s Factory”. In a similar vein to Moncler’s successful “Genius” initiative, Tod’s Factory sees the label collaborate with individual designers on capsule collections that are released in addition to its biannual ready-to-wear ranges. The most recent collaboration was with respected Israeli designer Alber Elbaz, who hadn’t worked with a big fashion house since his exit from Lanvin in 2015. The range of shoes and bags was titled “Happy Moments” and featured metallic loafers and pop-of-colour shopper bags. Elbaz tells ELLE that the joint venture hinged on his relationship with Della Valle. “What motivates me is people,” he says. “When you meet someone you like, you’re willing to... well, not cross the Sahara for them, but do a project. And I liked Diego. So I said, ‘I’ll do this.’”
“Tod’s Factory was conceived as a creative laboratory born to realise innovative and unconventional projects, in collaboration with designers and artists from the world of luxury,” explains Della Valle. “We gave access to our heritage, our Italian artisanal excellence and our know-how and they had the possibility to give their personal point of view in total freedom. Our iteration with Alber Elbaz was a successful reinterpretation of the Tod’s brand and now we look forward to the next collaboration.”
The house clearly has its eye on the future, as evidenced by its now-famous factory in Le Marche, a picturesque region on Italy’s east coast. The workspace is less traditional factory and more of a sprawling modern campus dedicated to all things Tod’s. Alongside the state-of-the-art leather-cutting and lasering technology is an auditorium for international lectures, a large gym and an extensive restaurant. The surrounding grounds offer lush greenery and employees are encouraged to bring their children to work – there is even a kindergarten on site. “When a company is doing well, it is obliged to look after the welfare of its employees,” Della Valle explains. “Our employees deserve a special environment to work in, a place where they can be inspired by what they create. I built our headquarters with this in mind.”
Much is made of how to navigate the ever-fickle fashion industry in the digital age. Some brands have fallen victim to changing the foundation of their DNA to suit the whims of the internet. Others have refused to adapt to increasingly technological demands and have been punished as a result. Tod’s seems to have found a happy medium. While adapting to a super-modern sales model and embracing new technology in its factories, the focus remains on staying steadfastly loyal to the timeless design ethos that has seen it through the past century. On this point, Della Valle is emphatic: “If you only follow trends, then you’re not recognisable anymore.” If this remains the brand’s guiding principle, here’s looking to another 100 years.