“Leaving Italy? No, we have a strong social responsibility. And for Tod’s, it would be impossible”. So said Diego Della Valle, increasingly a champion of Italian craftsmanship, during the television programme Sognatori aired on La7. For the Tod’s founder, no synthetic material will ever replace leather. It’s a particularly rewarding period for both Della Valle and Tod’s. Recently, the book Italian Hands: Artisanal Stories from Italy was published, celebrating Italian craftsmanship. And just on Thursday, two awards followed: the Changemaker Award for Craftsmanship and International Brand of the Year at the WWD x Saudi Fashion Awards.
The origins
“As a child, they made me sleep on leather hides – they were a bit softer than the floor. The smell of leather is part of me”, said Diego Della Valle, Chairman of the Tod’s Group, recounting the origins of his family and business to journalist Luca Telese on La7. “My father didn’t believe in sacrificing life for work. And he was right. I should have eased off the accelerator a little and enjoyed life more. I should have delegated more”, Della Valle admitted.
The leather department
Footage from Sognatori filmed at Tod’s headquarters in Casette d’Ete shows some of the stages of shoe production, with particular focus on the leather department, led by Tony Ripani. He is keen to stress that leather is a by-product of the food industry. “Animals are not killed for leather. They are killed for their meat”, Ripani clarifies. As Telese surveys the company’s vast leather warehouse, he asks: “Is there a real possibility that a synthetic material could replace all of this?” To which Della Valle responds, without hesitation: “Absolutely not. Synthetics will be used for other things, but not for this kind of work”.
“We have a responsibility”
Della Valle also addressed the protectionist policies of the United States. “Reshoring production? That’s possible for industries with high technological investment. But not for trades that rely heavily on skilled hands and artisanal knowledge”, he observed. He reaffirmed his unwavering decision not to move his business out of Italy: “For our kind of work, leaving Italy makes no sense. It’s impossible. I try to do everything we can here, also because we have a strong social responsibility”.
Awards received
On Thursday, Diego Della Valle received the Changemaker Award for Craftsmanship from CNMI, in recognition of his commitment to placing artisanal excellence and product quality at the heart of Tod’s identity. Tod’s was also named International Brand of the Year at the WWD x Saudi Fashion Awards in Riyadh. These are yet more acknowledgements for the group’s ongoing dedication to celebrating craftsmanship and quality as its core values.
Read also:
- Della Valle: very worrying situation, artisans at risk
- Tod’s, Della Valle quits? “No, but I want to delegate more”
