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Remembering their roots is the most important lesson that Dorino, now 80, has instilled in his sons (their sister Gisella doesn't work for the company). "Dignity, duty and enjoyment," he says. "If I had five minutes left with my son, I would tell him that is what life is about."
Last night Diego indulged his own young son, allowing him to stay up late to watch a Juventus match on the television in their cozy basement family room at the villa. Diego is tired today after a long weekend celebrating Filippo's birthday (three parties: one at the local pizzeria, one at the grandparents' and one at home) and keeping tabs on Fiorentina. Now it is on to Paris, where he is planning a presentation of the Vivier spring collection as well as introducing a new line of Tod's clothing that is the result of a collaboration with American designer Derek Lam.
Diego took over his father's business in 1978 when law school no longer interested him and he had tired of wasting time in nightclubs. Inspired by the casual elegance of people like Gianni Agnelli and John F. Kennedy, Diego had an idea that was simple and obvious yet completely unaddressed in Europe: casual shoes that were chic. "At the time everything was very precise: black suit, blue shirt and tie. There was nothing casual," he says. "For me it was very important to find something light, to combine good taste with free time." So he combined the idea of leather shoes with rubber soles and came up with a soft pebble-soled driving moccasin that he labeled J.P. Tod's (the name came out of the Boston phone book). Through an old friend, he managed to get a pair onto Agnelli's feet. Word of mouth grew. He opened a few stores. By 1997 he had added handbags to the brand. Suddenly everyone from Princess Diana to Cher, Hillary Clinton, Jack Nicholson and the King of Spain were wearing J.P. Tod's. In 1999 he dropped the J.P.—too many people were inquiring after a real person.
The driving concept behind Tod's has always been the notion of enjoyment: bringing the casual freedom of weekend dress into everyday life. In conversation, Diego often refers to "the life," by which he means everything that is not work related or stressful. On bulletin boards inside the factory, magazine shots and vintage photos used as inspiration for the current collection consistently depict "the life"—Enjoyment with a capital E, whether it's Camelot, Farrah Fawcett, Bianca Jagger or a photo by Horst. The emphasis everywhere is always on a sense of freedom, ease and enjoyment.
The heart of the Tod's empire (which also includes 103 stores around the world) is the $60 million Richard Meier--esque white marble factory designed by Diego's wife Barbara and filled with art by Jacob Hashimoto, Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol and Frank Stella. One wing is dominated by a Ron Arad silver staircase called The Wave. Inside, 2,500 workers—50% of whom are second-generation employees—turn out an average of 15,000 shoes a day. Their kids go to nursery school on the premises, and the workers eat freshly cooked meals in the cafeteria.