Designer ‘Vince Camuto’, Co-founder of ‘Nine West’ Fashion Label Dies at 78

Fashion designer and co-founder of Nine West, Vince Camuto, passed away on January 21, 2015, at the age of 78. The designer is survived by his wife, Louise Camuto, and five children.

Camuto co-founded Nine West with Jerome Fisher in 1978. The partners later sold the company to the Jones Group Inc. in 1999 for approximately $900 million. Nine West, which has now added clothing and accessories into its original shoe line celebrated Camuto’s influence to the fashion industry on its Facebook page: “Thank you for making women look and feel more beautiful — from our head to our soles. You will be missed.”

Camuto also purchased the license for the Jessica Simpson Collection in 2005, and Simpson also took to Instagram to mourn the loss of a great “mentor” saying: “I will forever walk in your shoes … you made them.”

In loving memory of the iconic women’s footwear designer, his fashion label paid a tribute to Camuto with a Twitter post: “Life is an adventure. Seize the opportunity and find your passion.”