REMEMBERING SERGIO ROSSI

Born in 1935, Rossi learned fine craftsmanship from his father, a shoemaker. In 1951, he took that artisanal expertise and built his own factory in San Mauro Pascoli. Rossi launched is eponymous label and his business by making the Opanca sandal for the summer tourists who hit the beaches of Rimini during the Italian summer scene.

Luxury Italian footwear designer Sergio Rossi has died at the age of 84 in Cesena, Italy, one of the regions in Italy that has been greatly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Riccardo Sciutto, the brand’s CEO, shared the news of the designer’s demise on Instagram.

“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 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,” Sciutto said. “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.”