What is a symbol? If we think about it, many of the most important moments and memories in our lives can be linked to a specific image, sound or scent that helps us remember the significance of what we experienced. This holds true for each of us and for our entire history. The symbol is an image full of meaning. But what would happen if a symbol began to shift in reality?

This is the question we asked ourselves when we began to reflect on the significance of such a symbolically important day as 25th November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It is the question we had to ask ourselves to understand with the utmost honesty, how we could also take a stance on such a delicate issue as violence against women. Before our eyes, hundreds of red shoes began to appear, symbolising this important occasion, left along the streets and squares of our cities. We saw the stories they evoke and wondered where that symbol could lead all women. And the answer for us was clear: towards the future.

We imagined those hundreds of red shoes starting to take a small step, just one step, with all the difficulty and weight it carries. We were and are certain that even a single step can lead to a meeting, to help, to a voice. For us, the symbol has become that voice which is impossible to ignore and that screams so loudly it moves everyone.

In some places, far too many in our country, thinking about the future is a privilege. From direct experience, we know that the future is a journey and it is nearly impossible to build it alone. Having the opportunity to ask for help, to take the first step, does not magically solve a dramatic situation, but it is the best way to approach a way out, to create the possibility of a different future. As a brand, we have decided to take a clear stance on this issue. We know that these are also just small first steps, but we are certain that we want to build a journey.

A path lead by women, the same women who cross the threshold of our stores every day and choose our clothes. Because for us, it is unthinkable that any of them could live in a situation that prevents them from wearing them freely. That she might be in a relationship that doesn’t make her feel extraordinary, beautiful, unique, and above all, truly free. A brand like ours, made of stories, made of care, cannot remain silent in the face of events, and this is our way of saying: here we are.

We are here, through our work, through our presence in the streets of every city, through the experience of our store managers who meet and interact with women every day. They get to know them and truly follow their future as well.

Generations of women who buy clothes for their graduation and then, perhaps, for their daughter’s wedding. We know what it means to encounter someone, and we understand how much difference it can make in life to have someone who is willing to listen. Walk Towards Your Future is not just words, it’s a manifesto of our presence. We are truly stories that happen everywhere, and we are here to say out loud that we are ready to listen to them.

The Rinascimento team