The Designer Interview: Gianvito Rossi
As his eponymous maison celebrates 20 years, the Italian designer reflects on timeless design, creative freedom and his new NET-A-PORTER capsule inspired by the architecture of Paris
“I’m looking to make a shoe that is not just of this season, but that stays in your wardrobe forever because it’s independent of a specific moment.”
For Gianvito Rossi, this is the essence of truly successful design: something we will want to wear long after the algorithm has moved on. Over the past two decades, the Italian designer has built his maison around this idea, creating elegant, precisely considered silhouettes that transcend trends and walk with us through life. Now, as the brand celebrates its 20th anniversary, a new book (set for publication in February 2027) looks back at the work that has shaped the Gianvito Rossi identity. Meanwhile, in celebration of the season we’re in, an exclusive capsule for NET-A-PORTER takes inspiration from the architectural landmarks of Paris.
The son of renowned shoemaker Sergio Rossi, Gianvito grew up above his father’s factory, immersed in the craft from an early age. “It’s been a part of my life since the very beginning,” he says. “Although it wasn’t even work for me; it was just my afternoon after school. It was very interesting and I was very passionate, but it was something that, honestly, I never decided to do.”
Gianvito worked closely with his father until 2006, when Sergio Rossi, the brand, parted ways with the Gucci Group (now known as Kering) after a seven-year partnership. “For the first time in my life, I found myself without shoes around me, which was a new sensation. After a little while, I realized that shoes were my life. That was what I really wanted to do. So, at the age of 40, I decided to do my own collection.”
GIANVITO ROSSIGianvito 55 patent-leather pumps$830.00View Product DetailsSelect a Size3636.5 - out of stock37 - low stock37.5 - low stock38 - low stock38.5 - low stock3939.5 - out of stock40 - out of stock40.54141.5 - out of stock42 - out of stock
GIANVITO ROSSI95 feather-embellished satin pumps$1,195.00View Product DetailsSelect a Size3636.53737.53838.5 - low stock39 - low stock39.54040.541 - low stock41.542 - out of stock
GIANVITO ROSSISofia D'Orsay 95 satin pumps$935.00View Product DetailsSelect a Size36 - out of stock36.5 - out of stock37 - out of stock37.538 - low stock38.5 - low stock39 - out of stock39.5 - out of stock4040.5 - out of stock4141.5 - out of stock42
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The Gianvito Rossi style as we know it emerged from the freedom to design on his own terms, moving beyond the demands of different markets and the pressure of business targets to follow his instinct for what makes a shoe endure. “It was a completely different approach [from my previous work with Sergio Rossi], the chance to really express my point of view and my idea of design, my idea of shoes,” he explains.
From the outset, his vision centered on “postmodernity, simplicity, something very elegant and feminine”. Yet there has been a subtle evolution since his first designs. The challenge of creating something new, he says, lies in knowing what to preserve, including the possibility of revisiting earlier ideas from a different perspective. “I think it’s important to give continuity and to evolve the collection, like our clients are evolving,” he says. “To stay with them, and propose something that is a step ahead of what they had before, but not a step aside.”
“My clients give the best advice. It’s always very interesting to see what they expect, what they dream about and what they wish for”
Gianvito Rossi’s perfect shoe? “It should fit well – which doesn’t mean that it needs to be a sneaker, but at the same time doesn’t mean that it’s a machine of pain. The other element is the design content. It should not be something banal, not a remake nor something that was on the shelf two seasons ago. And not just commanded by trends; that is not what I look for. My definition of a perfect shoe is something that stays timeless in terms of perception.”
In a world saturated with images and references, the difficult part is resisting distraction, he notes – something that perhaps we can all relate to. “We are really given too much. We see a lot of stuff, but I look less and less to that. Because everything you see directs you and in a way influences your ideas. The risk is higher that you’ll make something that’s already been done. So instead, it’s very much about my own imagination and freedom. When I start a collection and when I start my day, I always have a blank page in front of me. That’s the starting point: think of what you have, what you discard, look for the emptiness and see what your subconscious emerges from there.”
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GIANVITO ROSSISofia 70 leather pumps$865.00View Product DetailsSelect a Size3636.5 - out of stock37 - low stock37.538 - out of stock38.5 - low stock39 - out of stock39.5 - low stock40 - low stock40.5 - low stock4141.5 - out of stock42
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One of these initial blank pages marked the beginning of his Paris-inspired capsule for NET-A-PORTER. The designs reinterpret some of Rossi’s favorite architectural references through shape, color and material, bringing a fresh expression to established silhouettes. As ever, the balance between evolution and innovation is at the heart of the process. “In the evolution [phase], you perfect something that is already accurate, working from a well-defined and fixed base. When you innovate in terms of shape, silhouette, heel, there’s a long industrialization process in order to define the proper fitting, the proper balance, the proper height and the proper cut, and that requires multiple trials and a lot of work. So you need the balance.”
In the latest collection, Rossi shifts the direction with fabrics that offer a new perspective on his signature styles. “With NET-A-PORTER in wintertime, we always try to find a different fabric to interpret our silhouettes,” he says. “This season’s purple velvet is a little bit unusual on certain shoes and bags, which is a cool way for these pieces to give a different angle on our work.”
“Every shoe is designed for a situation, for a mood, which works nicely in fashion today,” he continues. “And what we do very well with NET-A-PORTER is create special moments for our clients.” Rossi’s clients remain an important source of insight and inspiration, ensuring that his designs continue to respond to the women who wear them. “My clients give the best advice. It’s always very interesting to see what they expect, what they dream about and what they wish for.”
Over the last two decades, many women have been drawn to the consistency that Rossi has so successfully established. With a Gianvito Rossi shoe, you know exactly what you’re getting, and yet slipping on a new pair always brings something unique. The upcoming anniversary book gave him a chance to take stock and, in doing so, Rossi was struck by the continued relevance of his designs. “It’s been so fast that you don’t even have the time to look behind you at what you did,” he says. “I was really pleased to see that through all these collections, all the shoes that you see in the book are distinctively ours, all very consistent through the years and still of the moment.”
Never one to stand still, Rossi is already exploring what the next 20 years might look like alongside his daughter Sophia. Keeping up the legacy of family tradition, the pair work closely together on each collection. “It’s very interesting to see how two different generations see their future, their idea of style and their perception of fashion. What I want to do in the next 20 years is to have this new generation take the lead of the Maison and accompany the brand into the future.” For a designer whose work is defined by longevity, the next chapter is less about starting afresh than knowing what is worth carrying forward.
“What I want to do in the next 20 years is to have this new generation take the lead of the maison and accompany the brand into the future”
Never one to stand still, Rossi is already exploring what the next 20 years might look like alongside his daughter Sophia. Keeping up the legacy of family tradition, the pair work closely together on each collection. “It’s very interesting to see how two different generations see their future, their idea of style and their perception of fashion. What I want to do in the next 20 years is to have this new generation take the lead of the Maison and accompany the brand into the future.” For a designer whose work is defined by longevity, the next chapter is less about starting afresh than knowing what is worth carrying forward.
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GIANVITO ROSSI95 feather-embellished satin sandals$2,030.00View Product DetailsSelect a Size3636.53737.538 - low stock38.5 - out of stock39 - low stock39.54040.54141.542 - out of stock
GIANVITO ROSSIGinavito suede ballet flats$755.00View Product DetailsSelect a Size35 - out of stock3636.537 - low stock37.5 - low stock38 - out of stock38.539 - out of stock39.5 - low stock40 - low stock40.5 - low stock41 - out of stock41.5 - out of stock42
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