Tod’s Celebrates the “The Art of Craftmanship” During the 60th Venice Biennale
To celebrate Tod’s support for the Italian pavilion at this year’s 60th Venice Biennale and the brand’s project “The Art of Craftmanship,” President CEO Diego Della Valle hosted a sumptuous dinner at Scuola Grande di San Rocco, one of Venice most magnificent locations, built in the mid 16th century and believed to house Tontoretto’s finest paintings. Guests dined in the Sala Superiore under the famously frescoed ceiling depicting biblical scenes from the Old Testament — a veritable treat, as the Sala is rarely open to public events. As an additional bonus, a surprise performance by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli delighted the likes of actors Adrien Brody, Hayley Atwell, Zhang Ziyi, and Keita Macheda, among others.
Tod’s commitment to safeguard Italian artistic patrimony is ingrained in the brand’s ethos; the restoration of the Colosseum in Rome, Palazzo Marino in Milan, and Teatro Alla Scala have been just some of its active partnerships. Supporting this year’s Italian Pavilion at the Biennale was another prestigious pledge called Due qui/To Hear; the site-specific artwork features an installation by artist Massimo Bartolini curated by Luca Cerizza. Said Della Valle: “The message the Italian pavilion conveys syncs up with this year’s Biennale theme, Stranieri Ovunque— Strangers Everywhere: between peoples and countries, we have to listen to each other. It’s a message I fully embrace."
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As a collateral event, the brand staged The Art of Craftmanship—A Project by Venitian Masters at the Tese di San Cristoforo at Venice’s Arsenale.
Eleven Venetian masters were given the task of interpreting Tod’s Gommino through their specific craft. Just to name a few, Glassblower Roberto Beltrami rendered a Gommino shoe in golden-hued glass; mask maker Sergio Boldrin covered traditional Venitian masks, usually worn during Carnival festivities, in scraps of leather; goldbeater artisans Marino Mengazzo and Mario Berta covered in gold leaf a pair of Gommino shoes and their packaging.
Craftsmanship is at the heart of Italian savoir-faire and of Tod’s fashion practice; Della Valle said he was particularly keen on shining a light on traditional Venetian crafts, not only to preserve their disappearing artistry but also to “ inspire and encourage young generations to look at craftsmanship as a valuable art, because becoming a gifted artisan isn’t less important than becoming a lawyer.”
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