As soon as you think of Italian hand made shoes, you think of style and quality. Italy has long been known for its fine shoes and clothing, and it still ranks above most of the world in fashion.
Having said that, many other countries have a fine reputation for craftsmanship, so it’s worth finding out if Italian handmade shoes are actually better than anyone else’s.
One of the reasons why Italy is so famous for its shoemaking is because most Italian shoemakers still use the traditional methods, something that a lot of big commercial shoe manufacturers have long since dropped. Although modern factory mass-production is cheaper, the old methods involve much more care and precision, and so produce finer shoes.
Couple this with the fact that the Italians are well-known for their care in choosing high-quality leather, and it’s easy to see why their shoes have an enviable reputation for quality. Compared to shoes mass-produced in the Far East, Italian handmade shoes are way out in front.
The last, and probably most obvious reason why Italy has such a reputation for high quality handmade shoes is the standard and innovation of the Italian designers. Always leaders in fashion, they apply their skills to shoemaking, which results in some first-class designs.
OK, so I’ve given you some reasons why the Italians are best, but in fairness, there are other countries that do excel in shoemaking, and I wouldn’t be telling the whole truth if I didn’t mention them too.
Although not as famous for shoemaking, Britain has some very fine shoemakers. Built on an age-old reputation of fine craftsmanship (which has sadly been lost in most areas of production), there are still some truly expert shoemakers in Britain, and their hand made shoes are every bit as good as their Italian counterparts. You won’t find these shoes in the high street chains, but if you know where to look, you can find excellent quality hand-made shoes here.
Although not as much at the cutting edge of fashion as their Italian counterparts, the British shoemakers produce more traditional, yet superb quality shoes, and are definitely worth checking out.
I must come clean and say that I rarely worry about the country of origin when I’m looking at handmade shoes, as I usually look at the individual pairs on offer, and evaluate each on on its own.
Having said that, I recently found a source of the most wonderful Italian hand made shoes which I can strongly recommend.