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Crafted in Northern Italy
Crafted in Northern Italy
Our boots are produced in a small family run factory based in the Veneto region of Italy, northwest of Venice. The area is rich in the heritage and skills of making quality outdoor footwear.
The same family have run the business for over 50 years and during this time developed a dedication and passion to combine their traditional skills with the latest cutting-edge technology.
The region’s shoemaking skills and traditions go back as far back as the 13th Century. In 1278 shoemakers from the Venetian Republic formed a shoemaker’s guild to provide training, improve skills and set performance standards for their work. Over time the shoemaker’s guild split into two. The shoemakers who made labourers boots and shoes moved north into the Alpine foothills, while those that made finer footwear based themselves on the banks of the River Brenta.
The alpine foothills supplied timber for the Venetian Arsenale for the construction of the Venetian Republic’s fleet of ships. Lumberjacks flooded into the area for work and as a consequence the shoemakers in the area became famous for the production of the traditional “galloze”. The galloze was a heavy leather boot with a carved wooden sole, which was ideal for anyone working in the mountainous terrain. As more lumberjacks came to the area for work, more shoemaking artisans joined them.
Over time the area started to produce leather-based ski and walking footwear with rubber soles. In the 80’s and 90’s, all the major ski brands had a boot factory in the area and a number of major sports shoe brands were established there, including Nordica, Diadora, Scarpa and Technica. Household names such as Nike, Salomon and The North Face based their footwear design centres and operations in the area.
There are now several hundred factories, of various sizes, in the area involved in footwear development and the region is now known worldwide as a centre for sports and walking footwear.