Campara: 'The future of fashion must be built on empathy and new connections'

What is most striking, observing or listening to Silvio Campara, is his ability to change register abruptly, challenging the interlocutor who wants to follow his thoughts and reasoning, even if enriched by irrefutable numbers. The CEO of Golden Goose moves naturally from personal anecdote to the global scenario, from marketing terms that are justifiably untranslatable from English, such as acquisition and retention, referring to shop customers, not financial transactions, to the use of imaginative language that says much about his personality.

At the Luxury Summit of Il Sole 24 Ore held at Magna Pars in Milan on Wednesday, 7 May, Campara started his story from himself: 'Growing up, I realised that the greatest good fortune that happened to me was to have been loved by my family, at every stage of my life, starting from the crucial childhood stages. From a small town in the Veneto region I went to study at Bocconi, I started my career as a manager and with Golden Goose came a lot of satisfaction, but my strength, optimism, curiosity and empathy for others come from the fact that I was loved'.

A confession that in the mouths of many others might sound corny or, worse, might resemble a captatio benevolentiae. Said by Silvio Campara, it explains much about the uniqueness of the path Golden Goose is taking: 2024 closed with revenues up 13% to 655 million and an ebitda of 227 (+14% on 2023). "We are potentially slaves, or at least addicted, to our smartphones and technology, which has certainly broadened the range of choices we can make. But I am clear about the difference between choosing to do something and deciding, listening to our hearts and minds,' added the Golden Goose CEO. 'It may seem overly theoretical or philosophical as reasoning to apply to fashion, but I believe it is not so. The success of Golden (sic) is linked to the feelings and emotions we arouse in customers. We do not impose anything, nor do we bombard minds and hearts with repetitive social campaigns. Instead, we offer the possibility to customise almost every product, starting with trainers, of course'. To those who would retort that customisation has already become the mantra of every fashion and luxury brand for a few years now, suffice it to say that Golden Goose is talking about 'co-creation', not customised trainers or T-shirts.

To emphasise the link with all forms of creativity and talent, far beyond fashion, Campara has also created the Haus of Dreamers project, an idea but also a physical place, a complex of buildings in Marghera, where the brand was born twenty years ago, inaugurated in 2024, on the occasion of the Art Biennale, and hosting, in addition to offices and workshops, spaces for artists, videomakers, meetings and above all a 'school for artisans' (but in Golden Goose they are called dreamers).

On the eve of the Venice Architecture Biennial, Haus will host Marco Brambilla with Altered States, his first real exhibition in Italy, curated by Jérôme Sans, co-founder of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, who has chosen a series of existing works and others specially created by Brambilla for Golden Goose. Haus will open to the public on Sunday 11 May on the occasion of Haus Week, with a programme of performances, workshops and talks dedicated to art, culture, trainers and sport, with the aim of restoring value to the local Venetian community and promoting intercultural dialogue, creativity and freedom of expression. An event open to all, registering at haus.goldengoose.com.