The 133 studded soles make up the signature look of Tod’s house. A company who prefers their logo to use its pins as an exclusive code.
Tod’s Logo and the 133 Nodules
As a company rooted in luxury and Italian know-how, Tod’s rarely distinguishes its creations by just placing its logo. It is in the exquisite details and the nodules that we can identify Tod’s pieces.
Tod’s Logo
It is often in logos that companies distill most of their vision. With Tod’s, Diego Della Valle did more than affix a name. He actually transformed the small family factory into a global group ensuring the sustainability of the craft industry. Italian first, French second.
In fact, we owe him the revival of the house of Schiaparelli and that of Roger Vivier. And that may be what you can read in the Tod’s logo.
The name Tod’s was chosen because it is easy to pronounce in all languages. An international sounding name therefore, placed in the center of an oval where two roaring lions’ heads border.
If we extrapolate a little, we can easily understand that Tod’s is placed between these lions, mythical symbolization of the guards – making Tod’s itself a house guardian of the ancestral knowledge of Italy.
The emblematic CEO of Tod’s gladly specifies his connection with his homeland. An Italian land of the Marche region, from where his grandfather and then his father orchestrated the foundations making possible the emergence of Tod’s group.
“I was born in the village, my family still lives there. It is a very peaceful, very simple place. I love to walk there, drink a cappuccino on the terrace with my childhood friends. This is all of Italy for me, and I try to transcribe it in my work. We are lucky because we know how to make quality things, with beautiful materials and unparalleled know-how. It is important for me to continue to promote Italy throughout the world. “
And the most convincing example remains the iconic Gommino . An ordinary driving shoe founded by Diego Della Valle which was transformed into a luxury shoe by the know-how of Tod’s.
The 133 Studs: From Gommino To Tod’s Signature
Because Tod’s clearly makes luxurious pieces, the house wants discretion – rarely signing its pieces with its logo. Like the icon of Tod’s, the moccasin.
A driving shoe founded by Diego Della Valle during a car rally in the United State, Diego Della Valle went to carve it out of the exquisite leather of his company in 1978 – at the same time as he punctures it with 133 studs. The discreet signature of the house.
He stated: “While at the time, in Italy, we were always on top of things, I wanted to create a casual product to wear during the week with a suit, on weekends with jeans: that was Tod’s big idea. With a major innovation: to give elegance to a rubber sole.”
As a matter of fact, the rubber was then perceived as “frankly cheap” said Diego Della Valle. A material which however finds thanks to its aesthetic to the eyes.. Because, he is convinced, these studded soles are guaranteed absolute comfort.
Because on these 133 studs, the more or less round or oval shapes follow one another for optimal grip.
Then, after an enlightened and avant-garde marketing for its time, the moccasin with 133 pins rose to the rank of icon. A symbol of casual luxury from the House of Tod’s, which was found at the feet of Gianni Agnelli, the boss of Fiat, the Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and even Princess Diana.
A style that transcends trends and tastes – the Gommino owes to the know-how of Tod’s workshops to have made its studs a luxurious and very elegant element!
A discreet signature, known to everyone, which is also ideal for capsule collections. The most recent, with the very playful Alber Elbaz.
A Gommino effect which signifies more innovative pieces – in 2020 Tod’s will be launching new yachting shoes, called Competition.
Work done by hand, where the machine harmoniously complements the work of Tod’s craftsmen – this is what the 133 studs and Tod’s logo demonstrate. A house that places itself as the guardian of craftsmanship.