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Sergio Rossi, an Italian shoe designer, has died from coronavirus. He was 84.
In a statement to Women’s Wear Daily, the chief executive of Rossi’s shoe brand shared, “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.”
WWD reports that the designer contracted the virus and was hospitalized for days in the ICU of a hospital in Cesena before succumbing to it.
Last month, Rossi donated €100,000 to a hospital in Milan to help fight against coronavirus, according to the Business of Fashion.
Rossi Began Designing Shoes in the 1950s
Rossi was born in Italy in 1935 and started designing shoes in the 1950s. He launched his own brand in 1968, after having learned the art of shoe-making from his father.
Over the course of his career, Rossi collaborated with Azzedine Alaïa, Gianni Versace, and Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Celebrities like Selena Gomez, Angelina Jolie, and Cate Blanchett were known to be fans of his shoes. His most popular designs, according to Vogue, were “slinky sandals” with a curved sole.
In a statement to WWD, Rossi’s family said, “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.”
His son, who created his own shoe label in 2007, added, “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.”
He Lived In an Area of Italy Hit Particularly Hard by Coronavirus
Rossi was based in the Emiglia-Romana region of Italy, which was hit particularly hard by coronavirus.
Recent statistics by Statista suggest that there are over 15,900 cases of Coronavirus in the Emilia-Romagna region. In Italy, the first reported case of coronavirus was on February 18, 2020. As of April 3, the country reported 119,827 infected individuals with 14,681 lives lost.
To date, coronavirus has claimed over 58,000 lives worldwide.
Rossi is survived by his son, Gianvito Rossi.
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