Vince 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. On October 10, 2018, Vince Camuto was acquired by Authentic Brands Group, as part of the company's definitive agreement to purchase a majority stake in the intellectual property of the Camuto Group's proprietary brands in partnership with DSW Inc.

Biography

Early years 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 two years old. His mother, Louise Zenga Camuto, worked as a seamstress to support the family. 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.

Nine West A Nine West concept store located in Braintree, Massachusetts.

In 1977, Camuto and Fisher broke free to form their own company, Fisher Camuto, forerunner of Nine West Group. Two years later, he opened the first Jessica Simpson Collection shop-in-shop at Macy's Herald Square, New York. Additional shops have opened in other cities. , the brand is worth $1 billion.

Camuto's companies were the recipient of several major industry awards, with Fisher Camuto named Company of the Year by Footwear News in 1991. Nine West's retail operation was named Retailer of the Year by the same publication in 1994. In 2001 Camuto was named to the Footwear News Hall of Fame.

Alex Dillard, president of Dilliard's Inc. eulogized his friend as "an icon" of the fashion industry whose "passion for the footwear business and ... vision for style meeting function were unmatched."

Footnotes

Works Life of Style. New York: Assouline, 2014.