When you think of luxury shoes, you’ll think of Italian shoes. The most well-known and long-standing labels of exclusive, high-end footwear hail from Italy. Companies that were founded a century ago are still going strong today as luxury shoes never go out of fashion.
The best Italian shoe brands don’t just include these more established labels, but also recent designers are branching out into creating stunning footwear for men and women.
Read on to learn of the best of the brands of Italian luxury shoes, including the best-selling models on the market today, and some interesting backstory of the brand’s origins.
Top 15 Best Italian Shoe Brands (For Ultimate Style & Luxury)
1. Antonio Meccariello
Coming from a family of shoemakers, this Italian designer creates stunning luxury men’s shoes. The handmade model known as the Decurion II is a Bamoral perforated medallion cap toe shoe that’s one of the best sellers of the Antonia Meccariello brand.
Studying leather pattern making in Milan, Antonio apprenticed under Adriano Lunati before establishing his own workshop for bespoke shoes in Napoli. Collaborating with other designers for ready-to-wear collections, Antonio decided to eventually leave these companies to come back to his own custom brand in 2012.
Currently, his workshop is based in Naples, Italy, though his shoes can be purchased from around the globe, and the exclusive nature of his up-market brand gives his name a luxury Italian shoe status.
2. Paolo Scafora
This artisan Italian label is one of the best Italian shoe brands out there, with lovers of the brand particularly drawn to the Oxford handprinted model known as the ART.659. The elegance of design and exclusiveness of this edition gives it a high price, well worth the value for those looking for luxury.
The brand began from a family label that was founded in 1956 in Naples, Italy. It’s known for creating high-end bespoke and ready to wear shoes. Paolo Scafora grew up in this family of shoemakers, falling in love with the craft and eventually creating his self-named luxury brand back in Naples in the early 1990s.
The manufacturer process is mindful and concentrated, with each pair often taking 20-30 days to craft by hand by teams of local experts in their fields of design.
3. Santoni
On the official website of this brand, the three words used to describe the company are luxury, design, and perfection. These qualities are embodied in the best selling collection of the Double-Buckle leather shoes made of soft calfskin in different shades of light and deep browns.
Founded in 1975, Santoni was birthed from designer Andrea Santoni pursuing the mission of crafting excellent quality Italian shoes blending tradition with innovation. The brand was handed down to his son Giuseppe Santoni to continue the legacy.
The brand has two exclusive lines that were created in collaboration with the Mercedes AMG and IWC Schaffhausen companies to enhance the brand’s reach and blend the design aesthetic with sports cars and precision watch product lines.
4. Antonio Meccariello
As another designer who has been in the Italian shoe industry all of his life, Salvatore Ferragamo’s dedication to incredible craftsmanship is seen in his designs through and through. He creates luxury shoes for men and women, and the women’s model of the Sculpted Heel Sandal with Ankle Strap is a contemporary open-toe sandal that’s a favorite for women who love his brand.
In 1923, Salvatore established himself in the United States in Hollywood and fast became known as being the ‘bootmaker to the stars.’ Returning to Italy in 1927, he founded his company, which was later, continued upon his death in 1960 by his family, to this day.
In1978, the iconic Salvatore Ferragamo ‘Vara’ shoe was created and become of the most famous Italian shoes in history. The company is now based in Milan, Italy.
5. Enzo Bonafè
As one of the best Italian shoe brands in the world today, this one is a little different with not only ready to wear designs, but also a large focus on custom creations for individual orders. The shoes are born out of the unique wishes of the clients. Personalization happens throughout the whole process of manufacturing, from planning to stitching, to polishing.
Founded in 1963 by Enzo Bonafè, high-end Italian footwear was always his focus. Located in Bologna in Italy, the construction methods used for this brand are hand-welting, as well as utilizing the Blake and Norwegian methods of shoe production.
It’s a family business, with Enzo receiving help from his wife, children, and son-in-law to continue to run this small-scale, but high-quality luxury shoe brand.
6. Edhèn Milano
The ‘Dear India’ collection is a favourite line of this Italian shoe brand and was inspired by the vivid colours and intricate details of traditional Indian dresses. Their reinterpreted Brera loafer in this colourful style is an innovative and popular design.
Edhèn Milano was founded by Filippo Cirulli and Filippo Fiora in 2015. They launched the brand at a presentation at the famous Milan fashion week with their Italian loafers. Their men’s shoes sell well in Japan, the US, Middle-East and Europe.
Reflecting on their reasons for creating the brand, they state: “We launched the EDHÈN because we noticed that there was a big gap in the shoe market: it was really difficult for us to find a shoe reflecting our style, classic but at the same time with a contemporary twist.”
7. Riccardo Freccia Bestetti
This exclusive luxury Italian shoe label is known for its bespoke original designs and ready-to-wear high-quality men’s shoes. The St. James ready-to-wear Boots are a new addition to his online collection, which comes in full French Calf in a burgundy tone, or a mix of Suede and French Calf.
Riccardo began his small business in 2010 in the area of Vigevano in Italy (close to Milan). He recently passed away due to illness, but the legacy of his label continues with production and manufacturing still expressing his original tastes in new collections.
The word ‘Freccia’ as part of his label name, means ‘arrow’ in Italian, and this was the nickname that family and friends called Riccardo – possibly for his intricate eye for detail and precision in his designs.
8. Bontoni
This company comes from a long-standing 3rd generation family of shoe lovers. It is one for the world’s best Italian shoe brands. Bontoni has a higher price point than some other brands, but the quality is said to be well worth it. Their current best-sellers are the Magnifico Cognac Leather Lace-Up Boot.
Founded in 2004 by Franco Gazzani, Bontoni is located on the outskirts of Montegranaro in Italy. The small-scale workshop consists of less than 10 employees, and the company produces less than 12 pairs of shoes a day. It is most well known for creating bespoke and ready-made men’s Italian-style dress shoes. \
It’s said that to complete a pair of ready-made Bontoni shoes, it takes 12 weeks. To make a unique custom pair of shoes, it can take 10 months (sometimes more) for the craftsmanship involved.
9. Stefano Bermer
This global Italian shoe designer is one of the most pricey brands available. The most expensive and exclusive Stefano Bemer shoes are the Russian Reindeer shoes, which retail at $11,000 USD.
Launched in 1983, the company was an idea birthed by Stefano Bermer who sight to create elegant and refined luxury shoes. The brand is headquartered in Florence, Italy, and has stores in Florence, Milan, New York and it is retailed in other stores in Mongolia, Korea, Japan, China, Florida, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Moscow, Ukraine, and more.
What many people may not know is that the legendary actor Daniel Day-Lewis worked for eight months as an apprentice at Bemer between 1999 and 2000.
10. Scarosso
As a men’s and women’s Italian luxury shoe designer, Scarosso is another recent name joining the list fo the best Italian shoe brands. The famous ‘Giancarlo Tabacco’ Chelsea Boots are tobacco-coloured suede leather with a dark blue elastic panel. They’re handcrafted and lined in natural-coloured calfskin.
The label was founded in 2010 by the team of Marco Reiter and Moritz Offney, who met at the Bocconi University in Milan. Based in Montegranaro in Italy, the brand sells for numerous fashion houses in Europe, as well as online and in-stores around the world.
Though it’s a high-end brand like the rest detailed on this list, affordability, and accessibility is also part of Scarosso’s company model, believing that style and quality don’t have to mean a price tag that only a few people can afford.
11. Ace Marks
Detailed on the Official Ace Marks website, it says this brand is “the product of a lifetime of experience in the luxury footwear business.” Their best-selling men’s shoe is the Monkstrap Kurt, which is a dress shoe in black Italian antique leather.
The brand was founded in 2012, with the idea of cutting out the middleman and the markups that were placed on the products, to keep the quality high and the price point low. Their hand-crafted shoes are made in a small Italian factory operated by a family of 4th generation craftsmen and artisans, and the headquarters are in the United States.
Ace Marks prides itself on the use of hand-selected calfskin leathers with memory foam cushioned insoles, as well as their hand-dying and hand-burnished craft technique to keep the richness of texture and tone in the shoe designs.
12. Bruno Magli
As another Italian men’s shoe label, the Bruno Magli collections are based on the timeless style of luxury leather dress shoes. The FW19 Men’s collection features the best-selling model known as the Brando Suede Loafer in the Cognac tone.
The company began way back in 1936 with two siblings in Bologna, Italy, crafting their handmade shoes. The first factory opened in 1947, and the first retail store in that same area opened in 1951. Later, by 1969 more stores around Italy were opened and by 1980, Bruno Magli shoes were being sold in Australia, America, China, and Europe.
The company still keeps the tradition of historic shoe crafting and style alive, though it was purchased by the brand Marquee in 2015.
13. Moreschi
The best Italian shoe brands on the market all have in common this sense of exclusivity and luxury, often being small scale designers and factory which detail many handmade aspects. This is true for the Moreschi brand, which could be recognised by their best-selling Calfskin Oxford Shoes that are hand-dyed and make with traditional Blake manufacturing.
Founded in 1963, the company is headquartered in Vigevano, in Italy, with a well-known showroom on the fashion-house district in Milan. Calzaturificio Moreschi was the creator of the brand, and the iconic logo is a stylised image of two men’s shoes, black on white.
As per the official Moreschi website, the brand states “Our love and care for details express the style and philosophy of a company capable of combining the heritage and ancient know-how of the master craftsmen with the needs and trends of today’s market.”
14. Gucci
We couldn’t share a list on the best Italian shoe brands without mentioning the world-famous Gucci brand. In men’s shoes, their Brixton Leather Horsebit Loafers are a favourite, with a padded insole, leather lining and upper and designed to either have the heel be folded down to be a slipper or up to make a loafer.
Founded in 1921, Gucci is a luxury brand that creates clothing, accessories and shoes, all in a luxury style and with a high price tag to express the high-quality of their designs. The company was created by Guccio Gucci. As of 2017, the revenue was a large $7.1 billion USD.
Gucci was part of the list of Forbes Most Valuable brands and was ranked high at number 38 back in 2015 when the value of the brand that year reached an incredible $12.4 billion USD.
15. Prada
Rounding off the list is the other world-famous Italian brand, Prada. This luxury fashion house specialises in leather handbags, shoes, travel accessories, perfumes, and more. The range of Italian heels of women online is vast, with one of the best-sellers being the Stain Pumps in various colours, with the feature being the thunderbolt shaped heel as the motif of the brand.
Founded by Mario Prada and his brother Martino in 1913, it began as a leather goods shop called Fratelli Prada in Milan, Italy. Later on, women in the family began to run the company and by 1983, the product range was expanded to include footwear of different styles.
Experimentation is something that Prada always plays with, creating their products not just in leather, but also using plastic and nylon in different design constructions.
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