Berluti

Berluti was founded in 1895 in Paris by Alessandro Berluti, an Italian shoemaker from Senigallia who set up his workshop in the rue du Mont-Thabor near the Louvre. The Berluti workshop produced bespoke shoes for an aristocratic European clientele for four generations of the Berluti family — Alessandro, Talbinio, Torello, and Olga Berluti. Olga in particular (who joined in 1959) transformed Berluti from a strictly bespoke maker into a luxury ready-to-wear shoemaker, developing the patinated-leather technique that has become the brand's signature. The Berluti vocabulary settled around several distinguishing practices: the Olga-developed hand-applied patina (the process of dyeing leather in graduated tones to produce a uniquely aged finish), the bespoke shoe service (where the customer's foot is measured and a custom last is carved), and the iconic Andy loafer (named for and styled after Andy Warhol, a longtime client). Bespoke shoes start at around €4,500 and take a year to produce. Berluti was acquired by LVMH in 1993 and Antoine Arnault (Bernard Arnault's eldest son) was appointed CEO in 2011. Kris Van Assche served as creative director from 2018-2021; Roberto Vedovotto (formerly of Lanvin, Kering Eyewear) is current CEO. The brand has expanded into ready-to-wear under Van Assche's tenure but bespoke shoes remain the cultural and commercial anchor. The Senigallia archive, the Mont-Thabor workshop, and the Lambro tannery in the Marche region all preserve the brand's craft lineage.