Tod's

A lot of the price is hand work. The Gommino's moccasin construction is hand-stitched and built from fine calfskin and suede, a labour-intensive process that drives up cost. You are also paying into a legacy of Italian craftsmanship, since Tod's traces back to a family shoemaking business founded in the late 1920s.

It depends on how you plan to wear them. Owners praise the leather and the refined hand-stitching, but the classic Gommino with its rubber pebble nubs is not really built for long walks, and some report the heels wearing faster than expected. If you want something more city-proof, look for a version with a fuller rubber sole rather than the pure driving shoe.

It started as a driving shoe. Introduced in 1979 as a leather (suede) loafer, the Gommino is designed for fine pedal feel behind the wheel, with rubber pebbles on the sole rather than a hard outsole. That makes it light and supple, but better suited to driving and smart-casual wear than heavy-duty walking.

This is a long-running debate. The Gommino is widely viewed as a knockoff of the Original Car Shoe, which was founded in 1963 and pioneered the driving loafer. Tod's has nonetheless become the more prominent name in the category, refining the shoe's leathers and shaping over the years.

Tod's is an Italian luxury house built on Italian shoemaking, expanded into industrial production in the 1970s by Diego Della Valle. That said, in 2025 Italian prosecutors opened an investigation into Tod's and several executives over alleged labour abuses and misleading Made in Italy claims tied to third-party suppliers, so the question is one the brand itself has had to answer.

It was a deliberate marketing choice. Diego Della Valle named the company J.P. Tod's in 1978, picking the name from a Boston phonebook to Americanize the Italian brand and court high-end New York shoppers. The J.P. was dropped in 1999 after the label became known simply as Tod's.

Alongside the Gommino, handbags are core to the house. Tod's introduced its signature handbag collection in 1980, just after the Gommino loafer, establishing leather goods and accessories as a pillar of the brand. Today footwear, leather goods and accessories remain its specialties.

It is no longer a public company. Tod's was listed on the Borsa Italiana from 2000 until 2024, when it was taken private in a transaction involving the Della Valle family and L Catterton (backed by LVMH). That move ended its long run on the stock market.

They are sister brands under the same group. The Della Valle family launched Fay in 1986 and Hogan in 1988, later forming what became Tod's Group. So when you hear Tod's Group, it spans more than just the Tod's-branded shoes and bags.

Yes, several. Beyond the Gommino-versus-Car Shoe and double-T logo disputes, Tod's drew backlash in 2011 when it sought exclusive commercial rights to the image of the Colosseum in exchange for funding its restoration, prompting regulatory intervention. Its 1990s acquisition of Roger Vivier also faced sustained criticism over alleged self-dealing by the controlling family.