Della Valle was born and raised in Sant'Elpidio a Mare[1] in Italy’s Marche region. He is the elder son of Dorino Della Valle and grandson of Filippo Della Valle. Filippo started his shoemaking business in the 1920s, making shoes for Azzedine Alaïa, Calvin Klein and Neiman Marcus, among others;[2] Diego later expanded it into the now-famous Tod's brand.[3][4][5]
Even during his younger days, Diego was business savvy: Diego used the power of celebrity to popularise his product, such an example was to have once persuaded his friend Luca di Montezemolo, who was a protégé of the then Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli, to present Agnelli with a pair of Tod's driving moccasins – the lawyer got Agnelli to wear Tod's shoes when attending Juventus football matches, which were widely televised; this product placement prompted a spike in sales.[3][4][5]
Della Valle joined the family business in 1975[6] and took it over in 1978.[7] That same year, he named the company J.P. Tod's. From 1996, he started converting the company's signature stores in the United States to J. P. Tod's boutiques.[8] The brand later dropped the "J.P." in 1999 after the brand became inadvertently known as solely "J.P.'s" instead of the preferred Tod's.[9][10]
Today, Della Valle manages Tod's with his brother Andrea. Diego's older son, Emanuele, is also involved with the family business as the creative director. The factory in Casette d'Ete was designed by his wife, Barbara.[4][5]
In 1993, Della Valle joined forces with Montezemolo and Paolo Borgomanero on reviving the Acqua di Parma brand.[11] Since 2001, he has been a minority shareholder in funds Charme Investments (Luxembourg) and Charme II (Rome), both of which were founded by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and control knitwear brand Ballantyne and furniture firm Poltrona Frau.[12]
In 1999, Della Valle raised his stake in British shoemaker Church's to 9.5 percent, setting off the speculation about a takeover; he ultimately decided against bidding against Prada which ended up acquiring the company.[13][14] He agreed to sell his holding to Prada.[15]
In 2004, Della Valle and his brother Andrea took a 40.6 percent stake in eyewear company Marcolin through their holdings.[16]
Around 2008, Della Valle and Montezemolo started working on the launch of high-speed train company Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori.[20] In 2018, both Della Valle and Montezemolo sold, with all other shareholders, NTV to Global Infrastructure Partners' GPI III fund for nearly €2 billion; Della Valle made about €340 million from the deal.[21]
In 2009, Della Valle published a book of photographs titled Italian Touch, a collection of portraits depicting upper-class Italian families at home.[22]
Between 2009 and 2010, Della Valle increased his stake in luxury department store operator Saks, Inc. just above 19 percent, becoming the company's largest shareholder and sending its shares to a two-year high.[23][24] When Hudson's Bay Company bought Saks, Inc. for US$2.4 billion in 2013,[25] Della Valle was said to make around $136 million on the deal.[26]
In 2013, Della Valle briefly entered a bidding race for Italy’s La7 television network, the only channel at the time not owned by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi or state broadcaster RAI.[27]
In 2002, Della Valle bought the Tuscan football club ACF Fiorentina[3][5] and rescued it from bankruptcy. He sold ACF Fiorentina to Rocco Commisso at the end of the 2018/2019 season.
In 1993, Della Valle supported and financed Silvio Berlusconi’s populist Pole of Freedoms coalition,[34] but soon bowed out, citing differences in values.[35] Della Valle established himself as a political moderate[36] and publicly attacked Berlusconi for the over-taxing of big business and his failure to support smaller Italian businesses. In return, Berlusconi talked of suing Della Valle for defamation.[3][5] Meanwhile, Della Valle is close friends with centrist politician Clemente Mastella.[37]
In 2015, Italian weekly newsmagazine L'Espresso reported that Della Valle had registered a logo proclaiming “Noi italiani [We Italians]” to the trademark office of the country’s Ministry of Economic Development, for categories related to a political party.[39]
Della Valle is married to architect Barbara Pistilli.[43]
Della Valle still lives in Sant'Elpidio a Mare,[44][45] where he owns the 370-acre Villa Palombarone.[46] He also has residences in Milan, Paris, New York, La Gorce Island,[47] and an 12-acre compound in Capri.[48][49]
