Franco Fieramosca, a Huge Force in the Luxury Footwear Business, Dies at 81 Katie Abel
Franco Fieramosca, a huge force in the luxury footwear business who was instrumental in building Gucci, Prada and other top labels in the U.S. market, died Wednesday at age 81 from complications related to a liver condition.
“Footwear was his passion. Work was his life. He loved his job so much,” said his wife, Cristina Fieramosca. “He was still in touch with a lot of people. He never let it go.”
An expert in both product development and distribution, Fieramosca was born and raised in Italy, and his career began in 1960 at Bally of Switzerland. He studied all aspects of production, and in 1973, the company transferred him to the U.S. “In those days, it was Bally, Bruno Magli and Ferragamo,” Fieramosca said in a 2008 interview. “There was no Prada, and Gucci had only its own retail business, which was not huge in this country.”