Tod’s emblematic style the Gommino moccasin alone sums up the brand’s philosophy by uniting tradition and modernity, artisanal excellence and continual updates.
The story is a well known one, that of a company founded in 1978 by Diego Della Valle, son of a shoemaker. It was during a graduation trip to the U.S. that he discovered and brought back to Italy one of these car shoes made for driving and already equipped with a rubber pebble sole that he would recreate upon his return to Italy to ultimately conceive, after integrally rethinking it, a moccasin with 133 rubber pebbles – a number that is today copyrighted – made through an entirely artisanal process, closer to gloves than to shoes in that it’s only made of one single piece. But it wasn’t until Gianni Agnelli, CEO of Fiat and Playboy back in his day, started publicly sporting the famed moccasin that “DDV” had the brilliant idea to offer this extremely popular model, symbol of a lifestyle synonymous with success and casual elegance, to an entire new generation of ambitious Italians. From Cary Grant to Audrey Hepburn, the stars soon followed suit and began showing off Gomminos on their feet.
But while the Gommino may be more popular than ever today with an international clientele, it isn’t just because of its brand ambassadors; it’s because of its own status as an iconic shoe. Indeed, its numerous stylistic variants coupled with its pretentious-less chic have attracted a vast client base. The Gommino is available for men in the most traditional of colors as well as the most exotic ones, while the Rive Gauche Parisienne type will be able to bump elbows with Japanese fashionistas by sharing models from the most noble of beige leathers to limited editions with silver nails or decked out in rainbow snakeskin. Diego Della Valle may have liked to point out that what differentiates luxury from fashion is consistency, but the Gommino has still undergone small adjustments throughout the years so as to keep it as close as possible to the aesthetic convictions of the era.
Subtly reinterpreted, this object with contemporary elegance that just keeps getting more comfortable has never let another of its major assets out of its sight: its absolute comfort, procured through its integrally artisanal production. Still made entirely by hand even today, each moccasin requires between 4 to 7 hours of work to undergo over a hundred different production stages in a factory in Brancadoro, where rare fabrics and passionate artisans come together. While the brand should soon be expanding its nascent offerings in ready-to-wear, the Gommino moccasin continues to enjoy special attention. For this summer, a collaboration with Ferrari is taking place in the men’s department, while women will be able to choose between scaly models or candied pink nubuck leather ones, Delft blue ones, etc…
Tod’s Gommino: Key Dates
1964 : Gianni Mostile patents the first car shoe.
1975 : Diego Della Valle takes the lead of the family company Calzaturificio Della Valle and confers to it an industrial dimension.
1978 : During a visit in New York he finds in a second-hand store a moccasin dating back to the 30s and chooses to breed it with the concept of Driving shoe. The Gommino is born.
1979 : Gommino becomes an international success. Sold in the US and in Europe. The Italian tycoon and worldwide icon of style Gianni Agnelli is one of the early adopters: he wears it in combination with elegant suits.
1980s : Caroline De Monaco, Catherine Deneuve, Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas and other celebrities are spotted while wearing the Gommino shoes.
1980s : The typical colors of the maison: black, cacao, dark green, dove-grey, dark-brown.
1990s : The Gommino is the official informal shoe of the international jet-set. Sharon Stones wears them, but most of all Lady Diana makes of Gommino a worldwide icon of style.
1990s : The Gommino colour palette starts to evolve from shades of black with touches of white, oatmeal browns, deep winter red, moody and pastel blue and all the pastel colors of the rainbow. The palette now follows a seasonal inspiration (darker for Winter fall, brighter and colorful for Spring/Summer. Gommino becomes a truly collectible object.
1996 : Tod’s start to use photos of historic driving shoe fans like Audrey Hepburn and the Kennedy family to promote Gommino.
2000s : New testimonials for Gommino: among these Gwyneth Paltrow and Anne Hathaway.
2011 : The new signature of the maison, the Tod’s monogram double T, also appears on the Gommino.
2012 : Tod’s launches a limited edition of Gommino in gold and silver with paillettes, pearls of glass and studs.
2012 : Tod’s launches the Holidays Limited edition.
2013 : Naomi Watts wears Gommino while interpreting Lady Diana in the movie “Diana” since the Princess of Wales was a great enthusiast of these shoes.
2013 : Tod’s launches a limited edition of the book “Timeless Icon: Lady Diana”, dedicated to her style and her passion for Gommino and Lady D bag.
2013 : Tod’s launches the “Capri” edition of Gommino in python leather.
2014 : Tod’s gives life to “Dots of life”, a worldwide website dedicated to Gommino fans where to share moments of life and emotions linked to the shoe.
2014 : Tod’s launches the Gommino Spilla.
2015 : Tod’s launches the project Gommino Club.
2016 : Tod’s launches the unique collection Tod’s for Ferrari.
2016 : Tod’s launches the application My Gommino where customers can fully customize their Gommino.
2016 : It’s the year of the limited edition dedicated to the iconic jet set locations of Capri, Saint Tropez and Porto Cervo.
2017 : There’s also Gommino in the new X Mr Porter capsule collection.
2017 : Gommino is protagonists of the four capsule collections Chiaralovestods, Tod’s Circus, Valentine’s day and Tattoo.
2018 : The multiannual project “Gommino Leo Clamp” reaches its top, while the limited edition Sound of Style is presented.
2018 : California is the core subject of the new Gommino collection.
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