“The shoes and the watch are two very important elements for the elegance of a man,” says Giuseppe Santoni, executive president of the Italian shoemaker Santoni, which was founded in 1975 by his father, Andrea. The Santoni way, he says, is to combine design with quality. “You often find shoemakers that are very fashionable and trendy, but the quality of what they make is not so high; the main target for them is being fashionable, being recognised, being recognisable.
Then there are brands that are focused more on quality and the traditional methods, but they miss out on the contemporary design.” Santoni, he says, aims to deliver the perfect combination: “Our shoes need to be timeless and contemporary.” Of course, for some customers this is all very well, but they’re after something even more special — something made specially for them.
And as with a bespoke suit, this is where we enter a whole new level of luxury. Santoni explains that if you want to go off-piste with materials and/or colours and details, and if you want a perfect fit, you can opt for fully bespoke..
