Bruno Frisoni on Roger Vivier, Alligator Tails, and Bad Taste

How do you recreate a legendary brand–staying true to its signature motifs while updating them to attract a new generation of fans? This was the challenge that greeted fashion designer Bruno Frisoni when in 2004 he was appointed creative director of Roger Vivier, the accessories house now owned by the Italian fashion group Tod’s (which WWF thinks none too highly of). Last Friday, Frisoni discussed how he tackled this challenge and provided insight into some of his key influences in a talk with Pamela Gobin, curator of 20th century and contemporary fashion at the Musee de la Mode et du Textile in Paris, sponsored by New York City’s French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF).