Diego Della Valle
Diego Della Valle
Diego Della Valleis the President and CEO of the Italian leather goods company, Tod's...
NationalityItalian
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth30 December 1953
CountryItaly
store temples
Saks is one of the temples of good-quality products in America. The Saks shop in New York, for me, is the most interesting department store in America.
decide designers fact fashion lose people sight technical walk
We must never lose sight of the fact that shoes go on the feet, and if people can't walk in them, they are worthless. Fashion designers who are not specialists need the help of technical people. We help decide the collections together.
believe brand china chinese course deliver explain instead market people results term
Of course China is an important new market for Tod's, and of course we need to succeed commercially. But I believe the way to do that is not to aim to deliver results in the short term by thoughtless expansion, but instead to explain to the Chinese people what our brand is really about.
almost considered feet leather rigid rubber time wears
Almost everyone wears rubber on their feet these days, but there was a time when it was considered cheap. Luxury shoes had leather soles, which were rigid and heavy.
behind buy fantastic finest leather looks luxury people shoes soft time type
The idea behind our shoes is simple: they are as light as possible, very soft and made from the finest leather we can buy. We try to make a combination of something that looks fantastic and is at the same time fantastically comfortable. This is the type of luxury people want to buy now, things that they can use every day.
achieved ambition became business company family great inherited interested italian led shoe worked
I worked in the family business, which was my father's shoe making company that he had inherited from his father, and that led me to become interested in what could be achieved by a great Italian brand. That became my ambition as a young man.
best customers life
Tod's customers - whatever their nationality - want the very best things in life.
chic hard time
There is a time to be chic and sportive, there is a time to be sexy and feminine, but it's hard to find the balance, and Tod's has done that.
people
I want people to feel happy when they wear my shoes.
beautiful create exclusive father good grew learning passion persevere quality reach taught took watching work
I grew up watching my father work, and learning from him what good quality is. I took from him the passion to create beautiful and exclusive products. He also taught me to persevere if I want to reach my goals.
family famous harder region skilled takes three tradition
I come from a family with a long tradition in shoemaking, and I still live in a region famous for its shoemakers. It is getting harder and harder to find skilled workers. There are no professional training institutes, so we have to train our own employees. And an apprenticeship takes three years.
impression lasting left time
I remember seeing the Colosseum for the first time when I was a young boy. It left a lasting impression on me.
business
You have to be serious-minded in business, but not take yourself seriously.
happy-life perfect too-much
When you work too much, you are boring - that is possible. But to have a happy life, if you can do several things in the correct way, that is perfect.