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“Goodbye Master” in Italian. That’s how shoe designer Gianvito Rossi signed off his tribute to his father, SERGIO ROSSI. Two words that spoke volumes of his respect for the man Italians hail a legend. jacquie ang profiles the shoemaker credited as a rever
Sergio Rossi may have built his name on collaborations with the glamorous worlds of film and fashion, but the shoemaker never forgot his humble roots. “I have always thought of myself as a calzuler, a cobbler, then I became a ‘creative manager’. I was born among leather... Watching my father at work, I stole his trade.”
Born in San Mauro Pascoli in Italy in 1935, he cut his teeth helping his shoemaker father who crafted bespoke shoes by hand, eventually inheriting his tools and the traditions of an artisan.
At 14, the enterprising lad would travel up and down the Italian Riviera to sell his handmade sandals to tourists. Two years later, he set up a factory in San Mauro Pascoli, subsequently taking over his father’s business in 1956. He continued to make his sandals by hand through winter, so that they would be ready for sale at a small shop on the Romagna Riviera when summer came.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
In 1960, the young shoemaker’s star rose when influential filmmaker Federico Fellini put actress Anita Ekberg in his shoes for the seminal masterpiece La Dolce Vita and other movies later.
During the ’70s, he became a sought-after footwear partner for fashion designers when the late Gianni Versace approached him. Sergio
elevated shoes from an afterthought to an integral accessory, leading to a string of successful collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana and Azzedine Alaïa among others. He benefited from their ad campaigns that featured his shoes and logo, which promoted his brand on an international stage.
Sergio’s advertisements started with illustrations but as the brand gained fame, he turned to photography to bring his vision of the Sergio Rossi woman to life. He worked with lensmen from Italian greats to celebrated foreign talents, with Helmut Newton at the top of the list. Known to use dramatic low angles to emphasise the long lines of the body and the length of the legs, he accentuated the height and shape of Sergio’s heels.
“Sergio loved women and was able to capture the femininity of a woman in a unique way. It has never been exaggerated, always in good taste,” shared Riccardo Sciutto, CEO of Sergio Rossi Group, now under Investindustrial. “They were not accessories for him. He once told me he wanted to create the perfect extension of a woman’s leg.”
GRAZIE SERGIO
As Covid-19’s global devastation galvanised aid from international fashion communities, the company joined in to battle the pandemic in Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe. In March, it donated €10,000 to Fatebenefratelli and Luigi Sacco hospitals in Milan. In addition, all proceeds from online sales between March 14 and 20 were pledged to finance the fight.
In a tragic twist, Sergio passed away in April from Covid-19 complications at the Maurizio Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, a region badly affected by the virus. He was 84. His son Gianvito Rossi (who has an eponymous brand of shoes) revealed in a family statement that his father put up a brave fight for days in intensive care.
“There are those who have had the good fortune to transform their art into work and those who have the extraordinary talent of transforming their work into a work of art. Sergio Rossi was this man. A husband, father, grandfather and progenitor of a family that followed his example,” he wrote.
Sciutto paid homage: “It is my great honour to have met him and gotten to present him the archive earlier this year. His vision and approach will remain our guide in the growth of the brand and the business.”
Sergio may have left his eponymous brand years ago, but his legacy lives on in the Living Heritage museum in the production facility at San Mauro Pascoli. “When I arrived at Sergio Rossi, I found myself in front of a sleeping beauty,” remembered Sciutto, who spearheaded the project in 2017.
Celebrating the brand’s illustrious history enriched its reawakening. In 2016, the brand relaunched with the sr1 collection that redefined archival pieces through future-forward lens. A geometric buckle adorned with a tiny Sergio Rossi logo from the archive will turn up in the upcoming srtwenty collection for Autumn/winter 2020.
“Today, the most important thing we are all looking for is an emotional connection and a chance to experience the lifestyle behind the brands we love. This is why I am so keen at Sergio Rossi on creating real moments of wonder in everything we do,” Sciutto explained. “It is crucial to stay true to the DNA of the brand and to the vision of its founder, which has historically always been very close to what a woman really needs and wants, with a product designed for the woman of today.”