Heart and Sole

GROWING UP in a shoemaking family, Gianvito Rossi never thought to do anything but design shoes. "It was very natural for me," he says.

The son of famous Italian shoe designer Sergio Rossi (who used to design shoes for the house of Versace in the 90s), was in town last week for the opening of his very first boutique in Singapore.

Rossi spent his childhood at the family's shoe factory in Italy's famed footwear district San Mauro Pascoli and joined the profession when he was 16. "I learned everything from my father. I worked with him for more than 20 years and that gave me the opportunity to create my own point of view in the business."