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Golden Goose’s Haus in Venice stands in the middle of what may be one of the most dystopian landscapes I’ve ever seen in my life — the modern industrial red-brick building trying its best to complement the surrounding shipyard, neglected shrubbery and rail freight passing right in front of its gate, in the pouring rain.
Once that gate opens, however, the contrast to the building’s surroundings yawns — a screen playing one of resident artist Marco Brambilla’s mesmerising video installations in a loop stands in the middle of a minimalist zen courtyard that comes complete with a pond. The courtyard itself is surrounded by the building that, once upon a time, 25 years ago, housed the brand’s first headquarters. Today, it houses Haus, an activation space, repair factory as well as the brand’s main archive space.
Golden Goose was founded by Francesca Rinaldo and Alessandro Gallo in 2000 in the town of Marghera, which is the uncharismatic mainland portion of Italy that stands opposite what is likely the world’s most atmospheric city, Venice. It’s a brand that thrives in tension; its trademark distressed sneakers are made using the traditional Italian craftsmanship codes to look as though they were fished out of a bin (a design I saw in the company’s archives comes with actual duct tape).
And they sell: the company reported net revenues of €654.6 million in fiscal 2024, up 13 per cent versus 2023, and welcomed Joe Tsai’s Blue Pool Capital as a minority investor earlier this year. Its star motif is everywhere in southern Europe, including the posh northern suburbs of Athens, where I’m from. And while one could argue that the distressed look never really went out of style on the Continent, the Americas are the brand’s second biggest market, accounting for 40 per cent of revenue (EMEA is at 48 per cent and Asia-Pacific at 12 per cent). The company also counts 215 stores in 74 locations around the world, along with 2,600 employees. In the time of Trump, tariffs and terrible earnings calls, how come Golden Goose is coming out on top?
