Arab News

Shoe designer Amina Muaddi pays tribute to footwear legend

- Arab News Dubai Footwear Designer

Following the death of footwear legend Sergio Rossi due to complicati­ons related to COVID-19 on Friday, JordanianR­omanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi took to social media to post a heartfelt tribute to the designer.

“RIP to the legend that Sergio

Rossi was and will forever remain,” she wrote in a lengthy statement shared with her 427,000 Instagram followers, revealing that it’s “such a sad day for me, for the fashion industry and for women across the globe who he has graced with his creations for entire decades,” which include the likes of Rihanna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ariana Grande. “My sincerest condolence­s to the Rossi family for their loss,” she continued. “When I went to the Sergio Rossi factory back in December because I was going to start producing my collection in their factory, I was taken to the museum built in his honor inside the factory,” she recalled. “I felt so much emotion going through his incredible work and looking at the archives that I could barely focus on my meeting. The legacy he left behind is immeasurab­le. Thank you master, may you rest in peace.”

Tributes poured in for the luxury shoemaker who died aged 84 in the small town of Cesena in central Italy.

US fashion influencer Olivia Palermo wrote: “We lost a true creative force in the accessorie­s world today. My thoughts are with the Rossi family, friends and team at this difficult and unpreceden­ted time.” “Sergio was one of the main forces in Italian manufactur­e and design. I met him years ago and he was so charming — he contribute­d so much, he was a major talent and very important,” said famed footwear designer Manolo Blahnik. “He had an incredible flair for what is current, he produced wonderful things.

It’s an enormous loss for the shoe industry.”

Italy has recorded more deaths from coronaviru­s than any other country in the world, with 13,915

This is such a sad day for me, for the fashion industry and for women across the globe who he has graced with his creations for entire decades.

fatalities as of Thursday, Reuters reported.

Rossi was born in 1935 in San Mauro Pascoli, Italy, where he founded his brand.

He remained at the helm of his label until 2004, when it was sold to Kering. Shoemaking remained a vital part of Rossi’s life, with his son Gianvito Rossi launching his own footwear collection in 2006. “Addio Maestro,” Gianvito posted on Instagram with a picture of his father after the news of his death.

 ?? File/Getty ?? Right: Jordanian-Romanian designer Amina Muaddi helms a celebrityl­oved footwear label.
File/Getty Right: Jordanian-Romanian designer Amina Muaddi helms a celebrityl­oved footwear label.
 ?? Instagram ?? Amina Muaddi
Above: Muaddi took to her social media to post a series of images donning Sergio Rossi shoes.
Instagram Amina Muaddi Above: Muaddi took to her social media to post a series of images donning Sergio Rossi shoes.
 ??  ?? Dubai-based influencer Nadya Hasan managed to celebrate her 30th birthday in style on Friday with a glitzy guestless celebratio­n at home due to social distancing measures amid the coronaviru­s pandemic.
Dubai-based influencer Nadya Hasan managed to celebrate her 30th birthday in style on Friday with a glitzy guestless celebratio­n at home due to social distancing measures amid the coronaviru­s pandemic.

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