Reflecting upon one of my favorite shoe masters and clothing designer, we are sadden of a another loss to the fashion world. Vince Camuto, legendary women’s footwear designer, died at his home Wednesday (January 21) at age 78, The cause of death was cancer.i
Growing up on New York and entering into business at age 18, Vince in his thirties co-founded the brand and empire Nine West before selling it in the 90's. He then created Camuto Group, an industry leader for the design, development and distribution of women's fashion footwear,a multibillion-dollar empire that included various footwear and accessories brands. Camuto gained footwear licenses for big name design brands like Tory Burch, BCBG, Max Azria, Jessica Simpson, in addition to private-label shoes for Banana Republic, Ann Taylor and Dillard's, Yes Vince was a silent design master.
No matter the greatness of his success, Camuto always kept his customer top-of-mind, once saying, “We don’t think that we can fool the customer. We give her the best value.” Camuto has left a strong impact on the style community, a leader of clothing and shoe designs in my closet, he will be sorely missed.