Ever since 1985, the family of Berluti have dedicated their lives to making the very best quality shoes combining comfort, luxury and elegance. Each of their creations has been inspired by the demands of culture and the dreams of the company. Alessandro Berluti arrived in Paris during 1895; skilled in the art of luxury leather work and pursued this skill to perfection with his court shoes. He always held a fascination with a shoemaker in the village he lived in and he took his memories of this shoemaker with him when he made the move to Paris. On his arrival, he began designing shoes of the very best, which would remain his passion for over ten years. When he took part in the Worlds Fair in 1900, he instantly gained a name for himself, and became among the elite luxury shoemakers in Europe.

The excellent lace up court shoe designed by Alessandro Berluti in 1895 went on to be transformed by Torello Berluti over a period of 30 years with Olga Berluti going on to re-invent it. The shoe made from the finest single piece leather, with no apparent stitching, was in a class of its own and historic, it would go on to symbolise the luxury of "Maison Berluti".

Torello Berluti inherited his fathers quest for perfection in all things, especially when it came to luxury shoe making. Leaving Italy in 1928, he set out for France, and began establishing the style of Berluti there. Soon his creations were compared to works of art. During the early sixties, Maison Berluti began to gain notoriety internationally. Talbinio Berluti learnt the art of shoe making at the age of just 14 years of age. In 1959, he launched ready to wear shoes of luxury and gained many customers. Between the 60s and 80s, another family trait hit him, restlessness and when his younger cousin Olga saw this it was the beginning of a global and larger Maison Berluti. Olga joined her cousin in Paris in 1959 and quickly grasped the art of shoe making of the very best. Olga specialised in learning everything possible about the foot, customers and leather. Olga, the sole female maker of shoes in the world, considered working on a pair of shoes an art form. She had a quest and that quest has been permanent, to produce shoes that are both unique and exceptional when it comes to luxury. Always breaking the rules of shoemaking, with elegant forms, artistic colours and patina transparencies, she has created many masterpieces in the world of shoes. From 1970 onwards, Olga worked with some of the worlds very best designers, including Warhol and Yves Saint-Laurent. In Olga's own words, It is the patina of the shoe that is art and this is what gives life to a pair of shoes.

Olga invented Venezia leather in 1980; the natural skin was very supple which led to obtaining colours that had unique depth thanks to the tanning process used. Olga applied her patina with unique transparencies to this leather. With the use of essential oils, the patina is warm and deep, an effect similar to that of Japanese lacquer.

Editorial | Image Courtesy Of Berluti