Sergio Rossi has died.
The footwear brand icon passed away at the age of 84 in Cesena, Italy on Thursday (April 2) due to coronavirus after being hospitalized for a few days, according to WWD on Friday (April 3).
“His is a story of unconditional love for shoes, which began in an Italy consumed by World War II, and was transmitted from his artisan father, who had always made bespoke shoes. At the age of 14, he was a skilled shoemaker and together with his brother Franco during the winter he produced the shoes he would later sell in the summer on a kiosk along the Riviera,” his son Gianvito Rossi said in a statement.
“His line has combined creative design with a quality achieved by a long work of improvement, tireless and endless. His international rise is marked by collaborations with the greatest fashion icons, including, the most iconic ever, young Gianni Versace. A man who gave all of himself, to the shoe, but also to his community,” the statement went on to say.
“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,” the tribute concluded.
“He was a master, it was a great pleasure to have met him. He was our spiritual guide and he is today more than ever,” the brand’s CEO Riccardo Sciutto said.
Our thoughts are with Sergio‘s loved ones at this difficult time.
