Italian Shoemakers Redefine Luxury with Artful Collections

The unrivaled passion Italians hold for footwear was emphatically showcased this week, as three premier collections from leading shoemakers underscored the nation's dedication to crafting designs made for walking, ruling, and seducing. These presentations revealed not only exquisite craftsmanship but also innovative collaborations and profound artistry, reinforcing Italy's esteemed position at the pinnacle of the global footwear industry.

At Santoni, a striking collaboration with Venetian artist Lorenzo Vitturi on a project titled "Forms and Matter" infused the new season's collection with bold and fresh ideas. Though not a direct joint design effort, Vitturi's distinct graphic emphasis seemed to profoundly influence the collection's aesthetic. The Santoni showspace, conveniently located near the Duomo, was transformed by a series of artistic columns and hangings that brilliantly merged Vitturi’s vision with Santoni’s luxurious leathers, signature orange shoe soles or leather strings, and delicate Venetian glass, collectively enhancing the alluring atmosphere. The women's collection featured the latest iteration of the bucket bag, crafted from treated lace, alongside excellent new airy intreccio slingbacks and boots designed for a sophisticated sizzle. However, the true stand-outs were the remarkable new sequinned slingbacks and their accompanying bags—unexpected, exuberant, and undeniably cool. For menswear, Santoni introduced a natty new Carlo sneaker, also presented in their exquisite suede intreccio technique. Giuseppe Santoni, looking effortlessly chic in a caramel Solaro herringbone suit, remarked, “Santoni has always been about luxury, but maybe this is even more luxurious,” adding with a jest about his productive summer, “I have had a busy summer, at the office and with a little co-working - on my yacht and making shoes down in the hold!”

Sergio Rossi unveiled an absolutely brilliant display and collection, where designer Paul Andrew masterfully incorporated carbon fiber to produce shoes of rare sculptural grace. This innovative approach was evident in some fantastic ostrich skin wedges, which boasted an undulating form reminiscent of Antony Gormley’s artistry. Andrew also presented a captivating series of glove-shaped metallic shoes adorned with playful kisses. Paying homage to the house’s rich DNA, he reinterpreted iconic elements with a superb slip-on crafted from studded leather. Andrew expressed his admiration for the brand's heritage, stating, “Sergio Rossi really was such a genius with the construction of footwear. In this shoe, he developed this form called Contrapunto in the 1950s, where the sole, in-sole and upper are all one piece.” Continuing this spirit of bravura creation, Paul also produced golden leather wedges featuring biomorphic heels named Sinuous, drawing inspiration from a Zaha Hadid statue located in Miami's Design District. The entire collection was showcased within Sergio Rossi’s elegant Milan showrooms on Via Pontaccio, set against a backdrop of expansive, gestural abstract paintings by Richard Zinon. In essence, it was arguably the most inventive shoe collection seen in Milan over the past decade.

This week, no presentation garnered more attention or activity than Giuseppe Zanotti’s, who chose to celebrate one of the recent past’s most legendary footwear creations with a compelling video installation dedicated to "The Slim." The presentation featured half a dozen examples of this iconic, "sex-creature" shoe, famous for its indelible appearance on Samantha Jones in a steamy sushi scene from "Sex and the City," where it was the only item she wore, thus creating a truly viral footwear moment. The genesis of The Slim is equally fascinating; it was conceived while Zanotti dined at one of his favorite seaside restaurants, Slim, in Cesenatico, Italy. There, he sketched the initial design on a tablecloth, ingeniously transforming a discarded fishbone into a precious jewel that sensually drapes across the foot. The ever-modest Zanotti mused, “Who would have thought it could have that much impact.” Presented in his magnificent Renaissance-style palazzo on via Napoleone, the event also highlighted an exciting new co-branding initiative: a capsule collection with Moreau Paris. This collaboration utilized the mini-grid checkerboard monogram of the venerable Moreau Paris—established in 1882 in the French capital—to craft leather sneakers that remarkably resembled denim, a testament to Zanotti's impressive range and versatility.