are widely available in the United States and Asia

Like him, he has a football team. Like him, it is in self-made-man. And like him, he was promoted "cavaliere del lavoro" (Knight of labour) the highest distinction for an Italian contractor in 1996. But the comparison with the President of the Council stop there. At fifty-three years, the pattern of the Tod's (Tod's, Hogan, Fay...) group, Diego Della Valle, became, almost involuntarily, the leader of the anti-Berlusconi in the industrial world challenge. A kind of paradox for this champion of "made in Italy", deemed rather moderate and individualist, who declares today bored by "broken promises", after having been, a few years ago, one of the first financial support of Forza Italia, the Party of Silvio Berlusconi.

"It is sad to see someone think that he can dispose of any and all," replied Diego Della Valle in response to the philippiques of Silvio Berlusconi, on 18 March, at the Congress of the Confindustria, in Vicenza. "If he is not insane, only a contractor which has many corpses in closets can support the left", was launched for the pattern of Tod's. Actually, antagonism between the two men, all the more embarrassing for the centre-right that Tod's is an icon of the "made in Italy" in the same way that Armani, Benetton or Ferrari, was already several months. In a primetime television show, Diego Della Valle had criticized the head of the Government to "take the Italians to an illiterate." Already, the resumption of the Fiorentina, the football club of Florence, four years ago, to a candidate backed by Forza Italia, had not contributed to improve relations with Silvio Berlusconi, owner of AC Milan. By becoming a shareholder of "Corriere della Sera", the journal of the establishment, despised by the "Cavaliere" the title took Romano Prodi stand and lambasting the Bank of Italy in 2005, Diego Della Valle has chosen his camp.

So, it is far from having the image of a "pattern of left". Already owner of several yachts, including the "Marlin", which belonged to John f. Kennedy, he has recently purchased the schooner "Te vega", the founder stripped of Parmalat, Calisto Tanzi. It is also part of the close circle of Luca di Montezemolo with Vittorio Merloni (Indesit), Nerio Alessandri (Technogym), or the banker Luigi Abete (BNL).

An empire of luxury

Twenty-five years after regaining control the small manufacturer of shoes created by his father "we have never had the hump of the studies in the family", like to repeat , Diego Della Valle can boast of having created a true empire of luxury products (shoes, bags...) are widely available in the United States and Asia. Without relocation. Six years after its entry in the stock market, Tod's posted in 2005 a net income of EUR 53.4 million, an increase of 39, with a turnover of 503 million, an increase of 19.5.

Contrary to a widespread idea, is not Tod's who was the inventor of the standoffs moccasins, but the Car Shoe manufacturer, founded in 1962 by Gianni Mostile and reprinted in 2001 by Prada. But the famous shoes are so closely related to the brand part, limited, voters also vote with their feet this weekend.