Handmade in Italy
The first craftsman we have partnered with for our Redemption Handwelted collection operates a small shoemaking atelier in the Montegranaro region of Italy. Montegranaro is a fairly industrial part of Italy, known for shoemaking. The advantage of this placement meant smaller artisans who were not fully vertically integrated and preferred to focus on the highest end and most traditional forms of handmade shoes could work together in a guild like system that is very similar to the one that operates in Sabae, Japan and creates our Japanese eyewear. As with Japan, the selection of which artisans are chosen to take care of each process on a given product is made by the lead craftsmen, in this case, an individual we are very proud and fortunate to partner with. One could say this seems like deja vu, for it is once again a father and son team of craftsman leading the project, however this time something is different. Not only do they rarely engage in making footwear with alternative constructions, each detail is openly and widely discussed and are eager to add to their vast knowledge to improve the end product. It is that dedication to continuous improvement, over 80 years of combined experience spanning two generations, as well as the openness to discourse and opinions with the person who we were very fortunate to join us in the execution of this endeavour that grew our confidence that this was the right fit. They understand Archibald, understand what we are trying to do and our incredibly proud about each product they deliver and representing true artistry.
