Sergio Rossi was born in 1935[1] in the town of San Mauro Pascoli, in the Romagna region of Italy. He inherited from his father, a shoemaker, the tools and the traditions of a great artisan.[2] Sergio Rossi built his factory in San Mauro Pascoli in 1966, and the company still produces there until this day. In the early years, Sergio Rossi worked through the winter making sandals that he would later sell on the beaches of Rimini and to boutiques in Bologna. One such model, the Opanca[1] was one of the most popular, a simple and daring sandal in which the sole curved gently around the foot, blending with the upper part of the shoe. Two years later, in 1968 the first shoes bearing the Sergio Rossi signature were produced.[1]
Francesco Russo has been the Creative Director of Sergio Rossi since October 2008. Trained at Milan’s Marangoni Institute, Francesco has created shoes for Miu Miu and Costume National, and began working with Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent in 2000. Christophe Mélard was appointed President and CEO of Sergio Rossi n May 2009