Italian shoe designer Sergio Rossi has passed away after contracting Covid-19 in Italy.
The news was confirmed by the CEO of Sergio Rossi Group Riccardo Sciutto, in a statement.
“Today everyone at Sergio Rossi joins me in remembering our dear Sergio, the inspiring founder of our
dream.
Sergio Rossi was a master, and it is my great honor 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.
He loved women and was able to capture a woman’s femininity in a unique way, creating the perfect
extension of a woman’s leg through his shoes. Our long and glorious history started from his incredible vision
and we’ll remember his creativity forever.”
“Today everyone at Sergio Rossi joins me in remembering our dear Sergio, the inspiring founder of our dream.
Our long and glorious history started from his incredible vision and we’ll remember his creativity forever.” Riccardo Sciutto, CEO Sergio Rossi Group pic.twitter.com/MGKoRI6jNB
— sergio rossi (@sergiorossi) April 3, 2020
The famous Italian shoe designer died in Cesena in central Italy.
Rossi was born in 1935 in San Mauro Pascoli, a region reknowned for its shoemaking. He learned the craft from his father and started selling his creations in Bologna in 1966. He later launched his eponymous label in 1968.
Just last month, the designer donated €100,000 to the Sacco Hospital in Milan to help in the fight against coronavirus. Rossi’s son, Gianvito, is also a shoe designer with his own namesake brand.
Tributes have started pouring in for the designer who was well loved by Ariana Grande, Rihanna and many others.
WWD reports, Gianvito paid tribute his father not only as a parent and a patriarch of the industry, but as an innovator and thought-leader as well.
“He has always stood out for his class and his strong, charismatic, generous, courageous character: a natural leader, loved and respected at the same time by his collaborators, with whom, in the long journey of his life he created one big family. There are those who have had the good fortune to transform their art into a 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. The family offers, with love, their last goodbye. With the unquenchable fire of your passion, you taught us that there are no limits for those who love what they do. Goodbye maestro.”
Addio Maestro. pic.twitter.com/RbUi0pzsmI
— Gianvito Rossi (@Gianvito_Rossi) April 3, 2020
Yesterday we lost two amazing human beings. Rest In Paradise Bill Withers and Sergio Rossi. Your legacy’s will never be forgotten
— Ciara (@ciara) April 4, 2020
François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering said:
“Sergio Rossi was more than a great shoe designer and a successful entrepreneur: he played a key role in the luxury shoe sector throughout his career. His shoes were the epitome of elegance and comfort, designed to fit perfectly women’s expectations. He has left an indelible mark on the luxury shoe sector. I want to express my sympathy to Gianvito and the whole family in this sad moment.”
