The CEO of GuidoMaggi, the leading brand of luxury elevator shoes, pays homage to the great Italian and international fashion designer who led the innovation in the world of Made in Italy haute couture.
“He was intelligent, generous and knew how to identify real talent. He was the one who launched Giorgio Armani, whom I respect as a friend and as a stylist. Nino Cerruti was an undisputed master of Italian and international fashion. He was the inventor, in the 70s, of the famous casual-chic deconstructed jacket, which became an unmissable item. He was an example for all of us”.
With these words, Emanuele Briganti, CEO of GuidoMaggi, a luxury elevator shoe brand, remembers the style master. Cerruti passed away days ago at the age of 91 at the Vercelli hospital, where he was hospitalized for an operation on the hip.
Nino Cerruti was the undisputed protagonist of 20th-century fashion with his innovative and contemporary touch, which also established him internationally, allowing him to conquer the entire Hollywood star system.
At events that matter, such as the Oscars, Cannes or Venice, the greatest actors chose to wear his clothes on the red carpets. But they were not the only ones choosing him: his garments can be seen in historical movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Woman and The Silence of the Lambs. Furthermore, Cerruti was the official designer of Ferrari in Formula 1.
Born in 1930, Cerruti came from a family of textile industrialists in Biella and had inherited the family business at the age of 20, transforming it into the excellence of Made in Italy on a global scale. And so did Emanuele Briganti: a destiny, it seems, that binds them in the world of fashion. The CEO GuidoMaggi took over the family business and gave new impetus to the brand with talent and creativity. Briganti’s idea is to create, for the first time, excellent and tailored elevator shoes, handmade and customizable creations that can increase height with discretion and elegance.
Another trait in common with the Biellese entrepreneur: Nino Cerruti launched Giorgio Armani, with whom Briganti has long been connected through a partnership made of mutual esteem and a shared vision of high fashion. Both reject the standardized and volatile fast fashion and have been fighting for years to reaffirm slow fashion: thoroughly enjoyable, lasting, customizable, and always exciting.
A partnership that’s getting closer and closer: the GuidoMaggi’s showroom of Brera is located a few meters away from Armani spa in Borgonuovo. This proximity, both physical and philosophical, determines a constant exchange of ideas between the two creatives. In this district, the beating heart of international fashion, history is made: tailor-made footwear is created for those who love beauty, want to wear the best and know how to recognize true luxury. Fashion is, first of all, an emotion; this is the most critical lesson that Giorgio Armani and Emanuele Briganti have learned from Nino Cerruti. It is with this spirit that they continue to work and create.
