Tod's to embrace haute couture

It may be a luxury leather goods company steeped in traditional craftsmanship and family values, but that doesn’t mean Tod’s can’t have fun.

“We want to give some exciting colour to our roots,” says owner, Diego Della Valle. “We want to remain high quality but also very cool … sometimes it is not easy.”

At the firm’s Hong Kong showroom, Della Valle flicks through tongue-in-cheek images taken by a famous LA-based photographer, which were inspired by their newest bag, the Sella (Italian for horse saddle).

“Now, everybody speaks about quality, craft and handmade rules. It has been our DNA for a long time, ” he says. “So we want to grow from this – one idea was to give us a way to explain our product with a very modern touch.”

Although its main advertising campaigns remain in the rather conservative vein of luxury image-making, Della Valle likes to keep clients and the media excited.

In February, the label appointed a new creative director, Alesandra Facchinetti, who had previously worked at Gucci and had a short-lived stint heading Valentino.