Gianvito Rossi's favourite memory as a young boy was not of a school playground or a family holiday. Instead he shows me an old black-and-white photo taken at his father's shoe factory in Italy when he was four years old.
'I grew up in a home that was right on top of a shoe factory. It was the first factory my father owned. For me, it was kind of a playground. It was such a big part of my life, and I loved it,' says the designer, who is once again surrounded by colourful shoes, this time at his own boutique in Paris, a stone's throw away from the Place Vendome.
His passion for footwear must be genetic; his father Sergio Rossi is an Italian shoe legend and founder of the eponymous luxury label. After his father sold the Sergio Rossi brand to the Gucci Group in the late 1990s, Gianvito decided to carry on the family tradition and launch his own label in 2007.
Since then it has captured the eyes of celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Kylie Minogue and Mary-Kate Olsen, and is stocked at prestigious retailers such as Luisa Via Roma in Florence; Barneys in New York and Browns in London.
Now he is set to conquer Asia with a boutique on On Lan Street - his first in Hong Kong and the first time that his shoes are available in China.
'Hong Kong is the New York of Asia. I thought it would be interesting to have a store there because it's a trendsetting place,' says Rossi. 'I didn't want to go into a multibrand boutique because it's important in such a big market to launch with your complete image. I wanted to provide our own selection and style.'
Rossi started working with his father at the age of 17, preferring to watch the artisans at work rather than going to school.