The Hand-Welted Cap-Toe Anticato Oxford Shoes - Last 001

Handcrafted in Italy

In the XII century the compagnie delle arti or craftsmen's guilds were established in Emilia Romagna, one of which focussed on the creation of fine shoes. Quality and heritage is the basis of Archibald and within days of our arrival in Italy, we met craftsmen working for brands such as Berluti (Ferrara), Santoni, Peron & Peron (Bologna), Testoni (Modena) and Enzo Bonafe. We finally settled on a small family-owned workshop in Modena, Italy where a father and son team make, what are, in our opinion at least, the finest shoes we have come across.

Visit the workshop in Mirandola, Italy

##A uniquely soft yet durable vegetable-tanned Italian calfskin forms the upper which connects to the sole through a rare hand-welted construction. The combination promises a unique blend of comfort, protection and longevity from the moment you wear them. The softer leather acclimates to your foot almost immediately, yet still maintains its shape - a trait generally reserved for skins used for special-collection or high-end custom-grade shoes.

Archibald London is the New Age Luxury Brand that Should Be On Everyone’s Radar by B. Oliver (29/02/2018), The Robb Report.

##You may know it as burnishing, but our Italian artisans call it anticato- and we think that has a nicer ring to it. It’s the unique antiquing effect applied over an hour and forty five minutes (and sometimes longer) with polish to the surface of a shoe’s leather upper, giving it a beautifully complex depth of colour. Sometimes the leather is even aged, depending on the colour and shoe. Burnishing requires simple tools, so it’s really the individual artisan’s feel for the process which makes all the difference. Not enough of a polish to shoe ratio and it falls flat- too much and the colour contrast is too stark. You have to find the subtle shine and shadow so it's down to a tee.