About Sergio Rossi
The Sergio Rossi brand was created in San Mauro Pascoli, in the Romagna region of Italy, when Sergio Ross himself inherited from his father the tools and the traditions of a great artisan. Since he was a child, Sergio’s favorite place was his father’s shop and exclusive boutique where an extraordinary man crafted luxurious shoes entirely by hand. Exquisite in craftsmanship, these shoes were created for a sophisticated, varied clientele: locals as well as foreigners, people of taste who appreciated diversity and beauty.
Towards the end of the 1960s, fashion breaks aggressively into Rossi’s reality and transforms it. The first collaboration is with the brand Genny where there is brilliant young talent who appreciates the unique look of Sergio Rossi shoes. His name: Gianni Versace. He’ll go far, and once Versace’s own signature will be presented to press and buyers, he will ask Sergio Rossi for ‘his’ shoes and ‘his’ fashions.
Signs of the times, signals, codes, and new languages. The growth of Sergio Rossi coincides with the emergence of the total look, with the spread of a fashion concept, which transcends into daily life and shapes it. Starting in those years, it became essential for a stylist to have shoes to accompany his creations down the runways and complete his collections. Sergio Rossi’s talents become fundamental contributions: his ability to capture essence, to spot trends, to anticipate, to articulate a precise style (the Sergio Rossi style) and to coordinate all this with needs of a stylist and a fashion show.
By the eighties, the Sergio Rossi brand was strong enough to be expanded largely. Rossi introduced bags and men’s shoes and simultaneously increased the distribution of the lines across Europe. With the opening of Sergio Rossi boutiques in Milan, Florence, Rome, and Paris, the identity of the brand was strengthened as a directional fashion accessory line. Meanwhile, the company became closely linked with some the leading design houses in the fashion industry, producing shoes for the collections of Dolce & Gabbana, Gianni Versace, and Azzedine Alaīa.
Expansion continued in the nineties and the Italian brand established a foundation in the United States with the opening of the New York boutique. Distribution was further increased through partnership with United States department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman as well as select smaller boutiques. As the line earned the allegiance of American consumers and fashion media, Sergio Rossi saw its reputation grow around three factors: a sexy, European sensibility, superior fit, and an unusually high quality of fabrication. During this period the line also became well-distributed in Asia, carried in major Japanese department stores and boutiques, as well as selected boutiques in Hong Kong.
Time was ripe for a change. Having reached the pinnacle, Sergio Rossi decided to join forces with one of the most powerful names in international fashion. It was the last and most essential step towards guaranteeing and supporting international growth. It would be backed by the marketing, finance, and communications know-how that only a giant of the luxury goods world could offer, necessary strengths in such a complex global market.
In 1999, Sergio Rossi entered the Gucci Group. Gucci Group is not just about prestige, exclusivity and global strength. Gucci Group also holds the same beliefs: a fanatical search for beauty and the knowledge that success is a by-product of this search. The rest comes later and takes care of itself. Great, irreplaceable skills and crucial talent are behind the success of Sergio Rossi shoes.
