Italian men’s shoes are a very grand proposition, different levels, different scales, different ways of living, different eras, different regions, there are too many topics to talk about.
Let’s just talk about geography today.
When it comes to Italian suits, it’s easy to think of a way to distinguish from south to north, Naples, Florence, Rome, Milan. It’s not about the name of the city, it’s about different styles.
This just provides a framework to use, and we can also talk about Italian leather shoes in this way.
Naples is not a traditional shoe production region, although suit production is very prosperous here. Today, the more well-known shoemakers are Paolo Scafora and Antonio Meccariello, who have only risen in recent years.
And in my eyes, the style of these two companies does not match the local clothing style of Naples. Paolo Scafora is known for its Norwegese construction and hard-core design, while Antonio Meccariello is more British, which are difficult to match with soft Neapolitan clothing.
Florence hosts the highly respected Liverano & Liverano, and the relatively less famous is Sartoria Vestrucci. In terms of style, they are gentle and low-key, which can be said to be the least aggressive suit. And here, there is no doubt the center of the Italian footwear industry, especially bespoke shoes, because most of the well-known Italian bespoke shoemakers live in this city, such as Stefano Bemer and Roberto Ugolini.
In addition to these two most well-known, there is Stefano’s younger brother, Mario Bemer; Then there is the independent Japanese craftsman, Shoko Matsuota; Mannina, a family-owned custom shop; Saskia Wittmer, a German female bespoke shoemaker, and Sutor Mantellassi’s factory.
Bespoke shoemakers in Florence can be refined with relatively common characteristics, that is, not radical, but erect inspiration. There aren’t too many boring shoes but the shoes never too aggressive.
Next, head to Rome. If Florence is a city that rose by the Renaissance, then the accumulation of Rome is much deeper. The costume here is, of course, Brioni, keyword, power. The shoemakers here are not very famous in today’s social media age, but their long-standing customers are all European elites, and two are undoubtedly favored by these customers, one is Marini and the other is Gatto. Not only customers, but also many of today’s top custom shoemakers admire their shoes.
Milan, the capital of Italy, the political and economic center, two Caracenis open here, keywords, politics and business. But on shoes, it took the exact opposite path. On behalf of what I can think of, there are two, Silvano Lattanzi and Riccardo Bestetti. Both of these are very strong in design. Not to innovate in small ways, but to dump everything on your shoes.
Just like Neapolitan shoes are only two more well-known, but there are many clothes, there are two other places in Italy where there are many shoes, but there are not many clothes, that is, Bologna and Marche.
The prosperity of Bologna is inseparable from a name, Amedeo Testoni, the shoe factory established in 1925, is the cradle of the Italian footwear industry, Enzo Bonafe came out of this factory and then took root here.
The Berluti factory, or Louis Vuitton shoe factory, is also in Bologna, because it was acquired and renovated from the Stefano Branchini factory. Stefano also grew up at the a.testoni plant.
When it comes to the Italian footwear industry, the most inescapable is the Marche region. If Florence and Rome are the world of bespoke shoes, then the world of machine made shoes is Marche. Most of the brands we know of in recent years have been making private labels for others, and they are all from Marche, such as Silvano Sassetti. We still have strong players like Bontoni in this region, but compared to the latter names, Bontoni only be shy, it is Santoni, Prada and Tod’s.
You can say Italian industrial footwear depends on Marche region.
Finally, as the main producing region of leather, Tuscany also has Borgioli, a strange brand that uses only raw material within this region.
