Italy is the country where the future and past of fashion are most obviously at plain sight. While in France under the strict supervision of managers form LVMH and Kering brands are groomed, cared for and kept alive on the track record of their roots and history, Italians love to start new ventures and involve the financial community right away. Meaning to get financing for realizing a fresh idea. The French often prefer an existing one. Case in point: Golden Goose, the Italian high fashion sneaker brand, which was the creation of the two young Venetian designers Francesca Rinaldo and Alessandro Gallo — both outsiders to the fashion industry — in 2000 in Venice, Italy. With good traction in the market from the beginning with its weathered chic appeal, the brand has been attracting financing from the get go and has changed owners several times. But with the Carlyle Group and Permira in the mix, this means it’s a bona fide success story.

Current CEO Silvio Campara has been given a carte blanche to develop the brand around what he believes in. A new generation luxury brand. Hence he hired Olympian skateboarder Cory Juneau to be one of his ambassadors and the San Diego born kid managed to win a bronze medal wearing the Golden Goose at the Tokyo Olympics where skateboarding was an official discipline for the first time. What a lucky hand for a brand without any prior athletic heritage before, unlike Air Jordan. Made on an exclusive basis for Juneau, the “A Dreamer From Venice” Ball Star Pro sneakers feature a blue suede up- per and white leather star. Specifically made for skateboarding, the style also has two curled white rubber reinforcements and a tongue padded in raw cut foam rubber, in addition to the hand-made wording “A Dreamer From Venice” appearing on the sole. So no wonder this clever CEO used the massive fashion popularity of Venice in 2021 to put on a big event for the 20th anniversary dubbed from Venice to Venice referring to the skateboard Mecca in Los Angeles and the Italian city. After all Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent, Valentino and Rick Owens held major and well received shows and events on the lagoona plus the architecture biennale and the film festival put the city back on everyone’s lips. As Golden Goose in fact hails from Venice and original founder Alessandro Gallo bought one of the best and oldest palazzos on the canal to inaugurate his Venice in Venice hotel project where the dinner party was held for the celebration of the 20th anniversary. Even a prior James Bond movie used the palazzo as a film set. Of course, Campara booked a float before to showcase the skateboarding prowess of Juneau and his friends. On a sunny early September evening, this provided for stunning visuals in front of a magical backdrop. What makes this brand stand out? It is the number one best selling sneaker brand in the US at the moment, retailers beg Campara for deliveries and he purposefully underfeeds demand to stay in the cool zone. His latest move: a brand new flag- ship and concept store called Golden TV on Via Verri in the tony Montenapoleone district where he elevates the idea of custom design to new levels. His new IT is so sophisticated that clients can act more as co-designers of the sneaker than just picking a color or monogram.

Images Courtesy of Golden Goose