Vince Camuto
| Vince Camuto | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 4, 1936 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 2015 (aged 78) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Spouse(s) | Louise Camuto |
John Vincent "Vince" Camuto (June 4, 1936 – January 21, 2015) was an American women’s footwear designer and shoe industry executive, best known for co-founding the women's fashion brand Nine West. Following the 1999 sale of Nine West to Jones Apparel Group for $900 million, Camuto became CEO and Chief Creative Officer of a new fashion company, Camuto Group, maker of the Jessica Simpson brand.
John Vincent Camuto, commonly known as "Vince," was born June 4, 1936 in New York City. Vince's father, Luigi Camuto, was an artisan who immigrated from Sicily and died when Vince was just two years old. His mother, Louise Zenga Camuto, worked as a seamstress to support the family.
Camuto attended Seward Park High School in New York City and began working at an I. Miller Department Store at the age of 18, working first at shoe repair before moving to a position in sales.
Camuto went to work for the Sudbury Shoe Company in the early 1960s, entering the world of shoe manufacturing for the first time. He was instrumental in helping to turn around one of the company's floundering factories, located in Farmington, Maine.
In 1968 Camuto met fellow shoe industry professional Jerome "Jack" Fisher aboard an airplane. The pair decided to go into business together, initially working with Japanese import giant Sumitomo Corporation to develop shoe manufacturing in Brazil for the Japanese market. The experience was revelatory for Camuto, who later recalled:
"The minute I walked into those factories in Brazil, my eyes opened as wide as could be. I couldn't believe the size of these factories — and that they were empty. With some infrastructure and money, I knew there was so much potential."
In 1977, Camuto and Fisher broke free to form their own company, Fisher Camuto, forerunner of Nine West Group. The company's name was taken from a number the pair spied on a neighboring building from their office on Manhattan's 57th Street.
The company combined fashionable designs with popular prices, making use of Brazilian factories for the bulk of its production. The company was a pioneer in the wholesaling of quality footwear in "case packs" of predesignated sizes. This enabled Fisher Camuto to achieve great efficiencies in warehousing and to match supply with demand, thereby limiting losses through overproduction. Nine West also effectively grew in size and public consciousness through its establishment of a network of company "concept stores" in urban centers across the United States. After serving as creative director of Nine West, in 1993 Fisher was appointed CEO as the company was taken public. In 1999, Nine West was sold to Jones Apparel Group for $900 million.
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