Sergio Rossi’s SR1 line is just a year and a half old, but it already accounts for about 65 percent of the brand’s business. And CEO Riccardo Sciutto is building off of that success with a new line, the SR Milano, which the brand will debut on Friday at a Milan Fashion Week presentation.
FN spoke to Sciutto at a private dinner for Sergio Rossi at the just-opened Cracco restaurant (from Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco, who happens to be a friend of the CEO) for more details on the new line.
Why is this new line called the SR Milano?
Everyone was expecting the SR 2 or 3, but no. For me, it’s not a seasonal thing. The Milanese woman has a great femininity, she’s dynamic, versatile and she’s cool. That’s the SR Milano.
Can you tell us what the shoes look like?
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There is one element on the heel that unites them all. The heel is black, with the metal plate that is found on the front of the SR1 shoe. The square motif is on the back. It’s more feminine on the front with a pointier toe. It’s the same DNA as the SR1. They are still inspired by the archive but we are using it in a different way.
You took some risks in launching the SR1 line, but it seems to be paying off.
It was very risky, but I told myself if I do this, I need to be different, I cannot be a follower. I can’t do another pump in a regular way. It’s not different. Someone might love it, someone might hate it, but everybody will notice. And that’s what we needed.
They’ve become recognizable to a point where they are being copied.
When we made the SR1 slipper, and there were copies in China, I thought, “Finally, they like it!”
