Roger Vivier's creative director on legacy, craftsmanship and being unique

Roger Vivier may be best known as a luxury shoe brand but in the hands of creative director Gherardo Felloni, it’s that and so much more. The award-winning designer talks to Zaneta Cheng about legacy, craftsmanship and the importance of being unique

If the whirling dervish that is the fashion landscape over the past few years has shown us anything, it’s that brand identity and its succession, continuation and evolution can be a very torrid affair – and certainly not as easy as one can make it sound. Imagination, whimsy and class have been defining features of Roger Vivier ever since the brand began making shoes for the likes of Catherine Deneuve in cinematic classic Belle de Jour. They have cemented the shoe as a touchpoint to worlds beyond the quotidian.

They’re also a tough act to follow. But in the six years since Gherardo Felloni took over the helm of Roger Vivier as creative director, he’s given the French shoe marque a whimsical, theatrical facelift; introduced haute couture footwear; started designing accessories from waistcoats to hats; and brought home the Designer of the Year Award at the 37th annual Footwear News Achievement Awards. He’s also taken to the director’s chair with short films – his latest being Vivier Express, starring Laura Dern.

For Felloni, it’s all part and parcel of creating a complete universe. “I’d like to continue establishing Rover Vivier as an iconic Parisian maison of luxury accessories and as a reference in the industry for savoir- faire, creativity and durability, both in terms of product quality and style, through our creations,” he says. “Although the maison was initially known for shoes, Roger Vivier himself can’t simply be described as a shoe designer – he also created beautiful hats and bags throughout his career. In the same way, when I think of a collection today, I imagine complete looks with accessories that go from hats to jewellery, all the way to waistcoats, bags and shoes as the final grounding touch to the whole silhouette.”

At his first presentation in 2018, Felloni staged the Hotel Vivier, transforming a Parisian maison particulier into a hotel of his imagination. There were opera singers and dancers mimicking Josephine Baker. Since then, each season has seen a new concept – all have been staged in various large private residences in Paris. For autumn/winter 2024, Felloni has drawn from the 1960s, with black-and-white optical illusions, candy- coloured palettes for colour blocking, and the requisite profusions of feathers and strass that have migrated from the erstwhile bag designs to headbands, gloves and waistcoats.

“Inspiration can come from anything: a range of colours, a garden full of flowers, a detail I saw in a painting or a beautiful vintage piece I found in the maison’s rich archives,” he says. “I’m also passionate about antique jewellery. I love its uniqueness, refinement, durability and the idea that these pieces have each stood the test of time and have a story behind them. I cultivate this passion by collecting these precious creations, which often also inspire my designs.”

The reason for the ’60s theme this season is, according to the designer, “The decade was a milestone in the maison’s history. At a time when arts and letters had already begun their revolution, fashion was just beginning to embrace new codes. Monsieur Vivier was one of these pioneers, inventing shoes with shapes never seen before.” Felloni has continued in this tradition, particularly with the introduction of the Pièce Unique collection, which came about as a result of Felloni’s appreciation for the house’s unrivalled craftsmanship.

“Each creation requires a long artisanal process. At a time when production is becoming ever faster, what sets us at Roger Vivier apart from many other brands is that we take the time to do things right,” he says. Some of the one-of-a-kind creations from the Pièce Unique collection, which was introduced in 2023, require more than 100 hours of assembly and use a variety of rare and delicate materials. Take the Josephine, a velvet handbag sporting a profusion of pink ostrich feathers, strass embroidery and a buckle made of 350 hand-set stones. Seven-thousand natural pearls from six different cultures were gathered for the Caterina de’Medici, which took over a week to make by hand. “We are heirs to rich archives and emblematic codes, and it’s our privilege but also our responsibility to preserve this legacy,” the designer says.

Also see: The highlights of Paris Men’s Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2025

Felloni’s appreciation for craftsmanship started at a young age, coming from a family of cordwainers who owned a shoe factory in the Tuscan city of Arezzo. There he’d spend his time looking at the shoes that his family’s artisans would make for the likes of Gucci, Hermès and Prada. It was while he was waiting for his interview to join the footwear design team at Miu Miu that Felloni came across a book on Roger Vivier and decided that he must be a part of it at some point in his career.

“I’ve always been obsessed with Roger Vivier, the man and his work,” he says. “It was my dream to succeed him and I feel very privileged to be able to realise this ambition. It’s both a legacy and a huge professional and personal challenge to follow in the footsteps of a brilliant designer. We share the same passions for opera, cinema, theatre, musical comedy and cabaret, and I’m thrilled to pursue this joyful legacy that aligns with my own passions.”

As he sketches his designs, no matter how fanciful his ideas, Felloni takes care to consider the wearability of his shoes. “As much as I love imagining daring and sophisticated pieces for personalities from the world of fashion or cinema, the most important thing for me is to design shoes that suit day-to-day life and that can be worn day and night. I love the idea of dressing really different women and providing them with timeless pieces that transcend trends and time, while being both aesthetic and comfortable.”

When pushed to choose a particular kind of shoe within the maison’s storied archives, Felloni protests. “How can I possibly pick one?” he asks. “In all of Roger Vivier’s collections you’ll easily find a piece that will tell something about your taste, your mood and personality, whether that’s a necklace, a hat, a shoe or a bag.” While Felloni might have a difficult time choosing among children, a look at this year’s presentation brings the Belle Vivier back into the spotlight. The buckled shoe, made famous by Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour, is being reintroduced to audiences around the world for its craftsmanship alongside the comma-esque heeled Virgule shoe, which first captured Felloni’s attention
in the waiting room before his interview.

Because while Felloni admits that his personality is spontaneous, his approach to each design and creation is methodical. “My vision has always been influenced by architecture,” he explains. “When I imagine the shape of a shoe, I pay real attention to its global structure, its curves, the symmetry and the many details that tie the whole piece together. We have plenty of examples of audacious sculptural designs that still always respect the golden rules of balance and pure lines.”

In this spirit, Felloni is continuing to push the creative envelope. “My aim as creative director is to pursue this innovative attitude for which the maison is known and further this never-ending creative process.
I need to be attentive to the world that surrounds me. I need to pave my way between my personal tastes and the global trends we observe. I truly think Maison Vivier succeeds in cultivating its own uniqueness in the shoe industry and in combining the timelessness of iconic collections with strong fashion statements.”

Also see: The highlights of Milan Men’s Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2025