Philippine STAR Lifestyle Exclusive: A peek into the lives of the moccasin people

Who wouldn’t want to walk in Diego Della Valle’s pebble-soled shoes? The Tod’s president and CEO leads a billionaire lifestyle most of us only dream about. He owns four homes (two of them in Capri and Milan) and the quickest ways to travel between them: a red Ferrari, silver Dolphin helicopter, Falcon 2000 jet and three boats, including Marlin, the mahogany yacht once owned by President John F. Kennedy.

Seated on the boards of companies like LVMH, Ferrari and the Banca Commerciale Italiana, Della Valle is a film and football buff who owns his own soccer team, Fiorentina, and has invested in Italian film studio Cinecitta.

Style-wise he personifies his brand’s understated luxury, accessorizing his gray or navy suits with Tod’s trademark Gommino shoes in black or brown.

Not bad for the son of an Italian shoemaking family who drove his success with a driving shoe. Inspired by his hero, JFK, and the preppy aesthetic of ’50s America, in particular the loafers worn by prep-school students, Della Valle took an everyday accessory and turned it into an object of luxury, injecting soul into its rubber sole with 138 rubber “pebbles.” He issued this distinctive Gommino shoe in 1978, which became a status symbol both in and out of the car and morphed into the brand icon. Bags were added to the mix in 1997, also made in Italy of the finest leather.

Tod’s brand of practical luxury is not just seen occasionally on red carpets but every day and everywhere, on Hollywood A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and Robert de Niro.

Della Valle’s pride in his Italian heritage led him to his latest project, a coffee-table book called Italian Touch, for which fashion and style journalist Donata Sartorio interviewed over 100 Italians with their families and friends — some of them aristocrats, some fashionable citizens, all Tod’s fans — while photographer Paolo Leone captured them living and lounging in their stylish castles and cribs. Sartorio calls them “moccasin people,” these movers and shakers who have all made an impact on Italian society.

But it’s Della Valle who has made one of the biggest impacts on the lifestyles of modern Italians. Here are excerpts from an e-mail interview with Tod’s main man about his new baby:

PHILIPPINE STAR: What was the inspiration/concept behind your book, Italian Touch?

DIEGO DELLA VALLE: It has been since a long time that I was thinking

about the idea of a book, to tell the story of our brand, the philosophy of Tod’s and the Italian lifestyle and, together with the Italian journalist Donata Sartorio, we came up with the project of publishing a book which through the pictures of any page you may open will be able to tell you the story of our brand today. Italian Touch is the story of more than 200 Italian families, with pictures of real people, with real lives, photographed in their real houses, in a natural way and with no photo-construction.

Why is it important for you to put out this kind of book?

Italian Touch is a book that not only makes you live the dream, but also reflects the DNA of Tod’s perfectly, being also a tribute to our icons, our classic D bag and Winter Gommino, which represent quality, “Made in Italy,” timeless elegance — all values of great importance for our brand.

How did you get the aristocrats and celebrities featured in the book to open their lives and homes to you?

I was surprised at the availability of all the people involved in our project. All the people featured in our book opened the doors of their houses and of their lives in a very simple and authentic way.

How long did it take to produce the book, from inception to publication?

Donata and Paolo Leone, the photographer, have been traveling around our country for three months, from north to south, from east to west, visiting some of the most charming locations in Italy, from Piemonte to Tuscany, from Cortina to Capri, from Lake Como to Sicily, interviewing more than 300 people about life and values, about style and esthetics, about loafers and great bags.

Who are some of the most interesting “characters” in your book, and what are their Tod’s stories?

The people pictured in Italian Touch are a combination of friends and people we met along the way. What they all have in common is that they live a real life full of beautiful principles and joie de vivre. Only some are famous, some are beautiful, but all are down to earth, of good taste and of strong roots and principles and of great character. All are generous and authentic and through their pictures they will make you discover a piece of quiet and genuine Italy.

How would you describe modern Italian style, for both men and women? 

It is the right mix between excellent taste, high quality of leathers, tradition and craftsmanship.

For the high-end Italian, what is the typical mode of dressing and accessorizing?

Style, elegance, tradition, culture and evolution are the characteristics that I think describe Italian style. These are the same values that Tod’s embodies.

What about their taste or lifestyle makes Italians different from the rest of the world?

I love the fact that, through our book, people will be able to understand our principles of family, enjoying life, taking moments for ourselves, as well as for others, living life simply but with a strong character. The book is not about the stories of the people featured in it, but with the images we wanted to show our world and the concept of Italian style in a visual way, as sometimes it is impossible to put into words.

When you hear the phrase “Made in Italy,” what comes to mind?

The deep attention to details, the production of high-quality products following traditional craftsmanship, but also the values of family and tradition are key. 

In Asia, where knockoffs and faux luxury are readily available, how would you define real luxury?

The luxury world is very competitive and our goal is to give something special, a dream. The dream relies on giving to the final customer something true, real, where tradition, quality and handmade skills can be touched and enjoyed.

Has the global economic downturn altered the spending habits of your clientele?

Economic volatility is a normal thing: what goes up always comes down. One must make the best products and carry out the fundamentals. We have had numerous crises before, including Sept. 11. But Tod’s is a brand with a history. It is a project with a long-term growth.  

I think the key is to maintain self-confidence and persevere. We have gained years of tradition, and many customers of luxury goods have very good consumption habits.  The more volatile the economy, the more the demand of good-quality products rises. Products that can be used forever, this is our goal.

You said before that you wanted to make Tod’s one of the top three European luxury brands by 2010. What are your strategies to achieve that, and how close are you to your goal?

Our strategy has always been the same, focused on iconic pieces, lasting a lifetime. Refined, understated luxury, impeccable taste and excellent quality, combined with expert craftsmanship are the characteristics that have always distinguished Tod’s, and this is what has created the loyalty among the brand’s fans.

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Italian Touch is published worldwide by Skira and distributed in select bookstores this month.

Tod’s boutiques are located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center Makati, and Rustan’s Tower in Shangri-La Plaza Mall.