Success as much about hearts as soles

Tod's shoes, in many different colors and styles, are a favored weekend footwear. Photos Provided to China Daily

There were no strings attached to the largesse: in fact one of Della Valle's main motives was to prevent the famous Roman Empire amphitheater becoming a sponsor-bedecked monument. He sees emphasizing the giving-back part as one of his major challenges in running a major luxury company such as Tod's, which also has Roger Vivier and Hogan in its portfolio.

"If you think about turnover and profit, that is one thing," he says. "But if you think about business with the bigger picture, as part of life, as I do, that is different altogether. We have a fantastic profit machine in Tod's. But what we want to do now as a company is have as complete a point of view as is possible, for our employees and to invest part of the profit to support our country and part for charity. We want to put back.

"In the earlier times, the hardest was the day-to-day part: I tried to do business that was bigger than me. At night I thought 'my god I am going to go bankrupt' and didn't sleep much."

Della Valle has no insomnia problems these days, when staying at his homes in Milan, Capri, New York, Miami or Paris, or onboard his personal jet. It touches down regularly in China, which he visits several times a year to check on the ever-expanding number of stores. China accounts for an ever-increasing percentage of Tod's annual turnover, with eager consumers snapping up the distinctive sole-studded driving shoes, along with various other shoes, bags and belts.

"With our products, there is soul and roots and it is a modern touch as well," he says. "I think people in China first wanted to have a good life but now they know more about fashion. They want to buy the best. I think Tod's is a style of life for people who love quality and are prepared to work hard to achieve that dream.

"We want to continue growing in China, there is incredible opportunity to grow a lot, but we will not change out culture of quality. In future years, people will divide the popular commercial names and the real high and exclusive ones like Tod's. I think ours is a typical Italian style of life, a mix of good taste, but not with a precise, or uniform, point of view. A mix of everything, with good taste. Maybe now people buy the famous names, a show-off situation, but in future the market will develop and the next step will be to buy what is really the best, the real quality, not just the famous names."

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