The Museum displays over 1500 examples of luxury women’s shoes, dating from 1947 to the present day. The models were designed and produced by Rossimoda for the most prestigious international designers. A precious collection of nineteenth century Venetian footwear is also on show. The exhibition traces the progress of the company over the years, testifying to the local skills and knowledge of the Riviera del Brenta shoemaking district.

The Fendi collection
Produced from 1991 to 2000.

Fendi is one of the first “Made in Italy” brand which became famous in the world, especially for the renovation of the fur, making it a fashion item. The brand was born in 1925 in Rome in a small furs and bags shop.

In 1930 the founders Edoardo and Adele Fendi developed the activity, but the brand reached the fame thanks to the five daughters Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda. In 1965 they created the double “F” logo and the collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld started.

During the second half of the 1950s, ownership of a fur garment was the dream of many women, but following the social changes that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, fur came to be seen as old-fashioned and bourgeois.

Lagerfeld, under the sisters’ direction, experimented with materials, patterns, finishes, weight, tanning methods, and colors, so that furs would be seen as something completely new, supported by advanced technological craftsmanship, suited to the needs of a public that wanted more accessible and wearable fashion. In 1966 he scandalized the fashion world by introducing color as a design element: “A colorful fur coat that was not precious but original”

In 1969 the designer gave prominence to the “F” motive, and made the fur more wearable; moreover, he created new and more functional bags and shoes. In 1987, with the third generation, born the “Fendissime” line conceived for a younger audience. During the years the production has been extended with other items as sunglasses, watches, beachwear and home accessories.

One of the characteristics of the Fendi label is the company’s unusual way of working with traditional skins. Fendi designers were continually experimenting on furs and in 1969, with the introduction of their Pret à Porter line, besides the exclusively artisan manufacturing, Fendi succeeded in producing a product accessible to the ordinary consumer: beautiful furs at a limited price.

It is one of the first Made in Italy brands to become famous in the world, especially for having rejuvenated the traditional image of fur. Since October 1999 the maison belongs to LVMH Group.

Footwear Museum of Villa Foscarini Rossi
The Rossimoda museum of footwear is located in the main villa of the seventeenth-century architectural complex Villa Foscarini Rossi in Stra along the Riviera del Brenta in the province of Venice. The museum deals with footwear and costume history and collects a collection of over 1700 models of luxury women’s shoes, produced by the shoe factory of the same name in collaboration with high fashion houses.

The museum is one of the few Italian museums dedicated to footwear. It is reviewed in the repertoires of corporate museums and considered relevant in its specificity .

It preserves more than 1700 models, the majority of which testify to the company’s collaboration with stylists from all over the world. .

Prototypes of the company’s collaborations with international fashion houses, from Dior to Yves Saint Laurent, from Givenchy to Ungaro, to Fendi, Christian Lacroix, Pucci, Calvin Klein, Porsche and others. Pieces representative of the company’s history, the historical period and the social context or because they are remarkable from a technical and artisan point of view are exhibited.

The minimalism of American designers such as Donna Karan, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Porsche is represented on the ground floor, while the products of Mediterranean designers such as Emilio Pucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Dior, Roger Vivier, Fendi, Lacroix are visible on the upper floor., Céline and Kenzo, having more space given the longevity of their collaborations with the company.

To the footwear models are added prints, sketches and sculptures from the private art collection of Luigino Rossi: the original sketches by Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld, the reproductions of the prints by Andy Warhol, and the cartes de vœux by Yves Saint Laurent.