Roger Vivier Explores Its Cultural Legacy With New Rizzoli Book

RIZZOLI and Roger Vivier have teamed up to reveal a new monograph, Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination. The book offers a cultural portrait of one of the twentieth century’s most influential designers, positioning Roger Vivier’s history as a living source of creative dialogue rather than a static archive. 

_{Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination}

The publication follows the inauguration of Roger Vivier’s first dedicated headquarters in Paris and the opening of its archive, marking a significant moment for the Maison. By sharing Vivier’s history beyond the physical space of the Maison, the book transforms private memory into a collective resource, inviting curators, writers, designers and readers around the world to engage with the brand’s legacy within a wider cultural framework.

Curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum, the monograph departs from traditional chronological biography in favour of a thematic structure. Inspired by the intellectual salons of the eighteenth century, the book is divided into five thematic salons: Le Salon de l’Héritage, Le Salon des Formes, Le Salon de l’Ornement, Le Salon de la Célébrité and Le Salon de l’Imaginaire. Each section functions as a conversational space, allowing ideas to move freely across time, disciplines and sensibilities. 

_{Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination}

_{Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination}

Throughout the book, newly disclosed archival material including original sketches, prototypes, photographs and documents reveal Roger Vivier as both craftsman and thinker. These historical materials are placed in conversation with contributions from an international array of voices from cinema, fashion, art and literature.

Cher, Michelle Yeoh, Catherine Deneuve, Isabella Rossellini and Laura Dern appear alongside writers including Suzy Menkes and Carol Woolton, demonstrating Vivier’s enduring cultural impact and continued ability to inform creative authorship. 

_{Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination}

_{Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination}

Under the creative direction of Gherardo Felloni, Vivier’s heritage is not a closed chapter, but a living dialogue that is continually reinterpreted by new generations. Both an intellectual and sensorial object, Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination reinforces the belief that heritage gains meaning through transmission, reinvention and ongoing discussion. 

by Catherine Rowe-Kosary