How operates the style department in Tuscan shoe factory?

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In the common imagination, the style department is one of the most fascinating ones in a shoe factory. It is the department where creativity has free rein; it is the place where the first sketches of the models are born, which are to be developed  in the following months.

In order to understand better how a style office works, it is necessary to make a clarification on the company context. A Tuscan shoe factory is a company in which the shoes are made by hand, applying “ancient” techniques, often handled from generation to generation. The person involved in creating and designing of the models needs to constantly relate to the production, so the creation of the shoe implies deep knowledge of production processes.

The style office of a shoe factory works to produce the collections of its own brand and it often gives the same service to the other brands that rely on its creativity to develop their own shoe collection.

Keep an eye on the current trends

Being the creative “department” of the company, the style office constantly interacts with the outside world to stay up to date on current trends. Creativity should leed to the creation of a collection that reflects the taste and needs of today’s consumers.

As you may know, the shoe sector is evolving rapidly and, season after season, trends and colors change. The designers should therefore interpret the trends of the moment to create products capable of expressing the essence of the brand. The stimuli that come from the outside day by day are then elaborated and “translated” into each individual product.

Furthermore, the style office never loses sight of what competitors produce: it is not a question of wanting to imitate others but of staying up to date.

The style office also “studies” carefully the proposals of the main luxury brands which, although not being direct competitors, could become the customers of an Italian shoe factory. In fact, there are many luxury brands that entrust the production of their models to local producers, who are capable of making shoes of the highest quality.

The research of the quality

The quality of a shoe is not only achieved in the production step but starts from its design; the choice of the most innovative materials, the attention to every detail, the color combinations … everything should be meticulously studied to obtain a perfect product in its uniqueness.

The relationship with the local tradition

Toscanity is synonym of high quality and tradition, especially when it comes to footwear. It is no coincidence that “made in Tuscany” shoes are famous all over the world and are particularly in demand abroad.

The Tuscan tradition of leather processing has a long history which the style office deeply knows and wants to convey into its own models; each shoe should contain the essence of Tuscan craftsmanship.

The choice of materials and processing techniques distinguish a shoe created, designed and produced in Tuscany.

The relations with the clients

Those who work in a shoe factory’s style office know their customers very well (almost one by one), know what they want and what they expect to find. Thanks to its excellence, the Tuscan shoe is exported abroad, therefore, the designers should also take into account the foreign market and its characteristic.

What the style department can do for you?

As mentioned above, Tuscan shoe factories not only produce shoes with their own brand but are often contacted by other companies to create a shoe collection branded with the customers’ label.

In these cases, the style office accepts the customer’s request forwarding the catalogue with the models to choose out from. Later the colors and finishes of each individual shoe are decided in order to create a collection that fully reflects the soul of the brand.

When we talk about clothing brands, it is essential to collaborate with a high-level style office, able to best advise the customer regarding the choice of materials and finishes in order to obtain a quality product that matches the rest of the garments in the collection.


We should consider that companies that decide to launch their own footwear brand wish to expand their business and, therefore, to omit “splashes in the mud” they should carefully evaluate the style office to collaborate with.

Fratelli Borgioli also has an internal style department which, combining the tradition of Tuscan craftsmanship with technological innovation, creates real artisan masterpieces, impeccable and comfortable, signed by Fratelli Borgioli.

Thanks to the professionalism of its style department, Fratelli Borgioli is able to offer its customers the Private Label service as well. Following the advice of the designer team, it is possible to create a collection of own-brand footwear with all the characteristics that have made Fratelli Borgioli a brand appreciated by international fashion houses.

CONTACT US or fill in the form below.

How to design your own footwear brand (and how to do it easily)

Both the largest international fashion houses and single stores or chains that carry out their own shoes already do this. To create the proper shoe brand you are not necessary should be an artisanal experts in this field of activity. Actually, what matters is to know which are the steps to follow to achieve the results according to your expectations. And to know how to choose carefully who to trust.

Why create your own footwear brand?

The reasons may be different and they depend on who requests this type of service.

In case of fashion brands, for example, creating a shoe line stylistically combined with the clothing line is the best way to create total looks that are perfectly consistent with their own idea of fashion and represent an ideal solution to increase the average sales of its customers. In case when the brand is known and appreciated, shoes with the same brand name will certainly be chosen by those who are fond of its clothing lines.

On the other hand, talking about shoe retailers, it is easy to understand how offering their customers a shoe line with their own brand is the way to enhance the experience and taste developed by them over the years. A shop that caters to a particularly demanding clientele can ensure maximum exclusivity if it creates a footwear line impossible to find elsewhere. And even in this case, if the retailer has made his name synonymous with quality, the footwear styles with his brand will be considered a valuable product by its customers.

Where do you start to create a footwear brand from?

Let’s assume that it is not that simple, if you want to do it independently: the creation of a shoe in fact requires a thorough knowledge of raw materials, processes and lines.

In addition to this, it is necessary to study the market that you want to reach, defining which are the most widespread trends and the most demanding and frequent requests of the target audience. It is therefore necessary to know the history of footwear fashion and how to interpret the taste of the moment, otherwise you risk to offer unsuccessful styles to the market. In addition to that, you should also have a good knowledge of colors and materials, to be able to match them correctly to the season, in order not to create unsuitable footwear.

How to create your own footwear line in a simple way

Since it is quite difficult for those who do not work in the shoe production, to have all the skills we have just listed, the simplest solution for those who want to create their own footwear brand is to rely on a shoe factory specialized in private label productions. In this way, you can take advantage of the experience of the craftsmen and be sure to obtain an excellent result.

It is therefore possible to proceed in two ways:

  • to offer to the shoe factory its own design of the footwear and request the necessary advise to bring the design into life;
  • to ask the shoe factory for a footwear catalog that can be created on behalf of third parties: starting from the certain models, you can then choose and apply the different desired finishes, in order to have a line that perfectly reflects the style of your fashion house or footwear store.

Both possibilities have advantages and disadvantages which you need to take into consideration to avoid bad surprises:

  • the development of an ad hoc model is certainly a guarantee of the uniqueness of the shoe-to-be, but it can take much time, as each shoe line  should be carefully studied and tested to be sure of a perfect result;
  • the elaboration of a shoe line using the existing catalogue ensures that the shoes can surely be successful, because the models have been already selected by the shoe factory. In order to obtain an original result you should be guided by the experts who could carefully combine finishes and materials in a distinctive and recognizable way without making mistakes.

Launching a footwear brand with your name is certainly a winning idea to boost your business. However, to prevent it from turning into a boomerang, it is good to carefully select the partner to entrust the work to, evaluating his experience in making shoes in terms of the style of your brand.

Fratelli Borgioli, the historic Tuscan artisan brand of men footwear, also offers its customers the Private Label service. With the advice of the company’s product development team, it is possible to create a footwear collection with your own brand that will have all the features of the brand like Fratelli Borgioli, appreciated by international fashion houses and by all lovers of beauty.

Do you want to see our catalog and find out more about the Private Label service and the advantages reserved for Fratelli Borgioli retailers?

CONTACT US or fill in the form below.