This is the new definitive reference for the Roger Vivier brand, telling its story from the beginning to the present day, making it a must-have for all fashion lovers, students, and experts.

Born in 1907, Roger Vivier was known and loved for the daring and lavish shoes he designed over the course of a seven-decade career. He designed iconic models such as the pilgrim shoes worn by Catherine Deneuve in 1967 for Luis Bunuel’s Belle de Jour, the virgule heel, and the rectangular chrome buckle.

The designer closed his business before he passed away in 1998, but the brand’s revival started in 2003 with the acquisition by the owner of Tod’s, Diego della Valle, who has steadily taken Roger Vivier from being a Parisian heritage shoemaker to a luxury shoe and accessory label with international reach.

With the appointment of Gherardo Felloni as creative director of the Maison in March 2018, Roger Vivier continues its tradition of visionary design and exceptional style. Felloni studied the vast archives, taking in the codes of the fashion house while at the same time creating something totally new and contemporary, not just through the shoes and accessories he designs, but also through theatrical event concepts.

In addition to the past and current history of the Maison, the book also features contributions and testimonies from various well-known personalities working in the most diverse fields, from the world of cinema to architecture, from art to jewellery.

This book will be the new reference book for the Roger Vivier brand, telling its story from the beginning to the present day, making it a must-have for all fashion lovers, students, and experts. It contains materials from the archives up to the recent collections.

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Elizabeth Semmelhack is director and senior curator at Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada. Semmelhack applies her cultural art history background to the mission of the museum by exploring the multiple roles and meanings of footwear through innovative and engaging exhibitions and publications.