Biography

Sergio Rossi, the brand, originated in San Mauro, Pascoli, in the Romagna region of Italy. Sergio Rossi inherited all the tools and traditions of a great artisan from his father: an extraordinary and intuitive ability that was never taught, but perfected as he observed all the gestures, the expertise, and tricks of the trade that would soon became natural movements – something one knows without ever having learnt. He reproduced those skills and then enhanced them, as though he had been reciting a lesson learnt by heart.

At the beginning of the 1950s, he went to Milan to study and train. In Milan, he learned how to make the most of his passion for shapes — at the very heart of a shoemaker’s know-how — and he continued to refine his considerable knowledge.

The 1960s in Italy was a time of much change, a cultural and artistic metamorphosis was capturing the heart of a nation, and the country was embracing the cinema of “La Dolce Vita,” the birth of modern design, and the emergence of Italian ready-to-wear clothing.

In 1966, Sergio Rossi began to sell his own models to boutiques in Bologna, spending his winters making sandals that he would later sell in the summer on the beaches of Rimini. One of these sandals would be decisive: the iconic Opanca. The design was both simple and daring: the sole was gently curved around the foot, so as to blend itself with the upper part of the shoe.

In 1968 Sergio Rossi signed his first shoes: a name written in block letters and a logotype as simple as a child’s drawing, affixed to a black round-tipped shoe.

During the 1970s, at the request of Gianni Versace, a collaboration was formed. This partnership was quickly adopted by the booming world of Milanese fashion. Sergio Rossi soon became a designer favorite — the fashion world having noticed his exceptional eye and acute ability to find the latest trends. With an overwhelming demand for his shoes in numerous catwalk shows, Sergio Rossi could hardly keep up with the demand. He was forced to select a small group of special collaborations, Versace being one of them.

These catwalk shows were a priceless showcase, enabling Sergio Rossi to make a name in the industry, and imposing shoes as the essential accessories to clothes and fashion.

The 1980s was a period of important expansion for the brand. The first boutique bearing the Sergio Rossi name opened in Ancona, soon followed by Turin, Florence, Rome, Brussels, New York, Los Angeles, and London. Between 1980 and 1999, an average of two boutiques were opened each year. The brand was also now closely linked to some of the leading design houses in the fashion industry, producing shoes for the collections of Dolce & Gabbana (from 1989 to 1999) and Azzedine Alaïa, among others.

With wide-reaching success, the brand had the means to achieve its ambitions. Advertising campaigns introduced the woman according to Sergio Rossi, an icon, showing the full measure of seduction. His philosophy was simple: to create beautiful shapes. To think of a shoe not as superimposed ornament but as the continuation of the body: well adjusted, comfortable, cosmetic, and designed for the movement of a contemporary woman.

The campaigns were a tribute to Helmut Newton, with whom Sergio Rossi shared a contemporary vision of femininity. The brand insisted on the importance of the heel – at least three inches high – giving the leg it's crucial energy and the female body a new stature.

Thirty years after the creation of the first shoes bearing his name, Sergio Rossi’s success is obvious and measurable, attracting international attention and red carpet renown. In 1999, Gucci Group finalized the acquisition of the Sergio Rossi brand and started opening numerous prestigious boutiques across the globe, establishing the brand as a real worldwide phenomenon

The Sergio Rossi network is home to around 80 retail points worldwide. Global distribution includes leading departments stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Le Bon Marchè and top concept stores such as Luisa Via Roma. The Sergio Rossi online boutique is active in over 100 countries.

- scource "SergioRossi.com"

Stores

Sergio Rossi has 82  retail stores across 6 continents, of which 3 are located in the Italy and 5 are in France.