Made in Italy is famous all over the world, whereas we talk about fashion, it is really a truthful statement.

If we go even more in detail and consider the handcrafted shoe market, we have to  admit that the shoes produced in Tuscany are well known and requested all over the world.

Tuscan artisan producers are known for their tradition, their skills and their attention to details. Precisely these characteristics have attracted many national and international luxury brands, which have chosen to entrust the shoe line production to this Italian region.

The numbers  confirm this theory, since in Tuscany, compared to the other Italian regions, the fashion has a significantly heavier weight (in terms of employees in the sector) than in the other Italian regions; from an analysis of the fashion sector in Tuscany by IRPET (Regional Economic Planning Institute of Tuscany) it emerges that in 2018 the share of this sector in terms of employees on the total of manufacturing was equal to 39.1% against 24.3% of Marche region, 19.4% of Campania and 14% of Veneto.

Most of the employees are engaged in clothing, leather goods, textiles manufacture and other specializations such as tannery, jewelery and footwear. Shoe productions are minimally widespread in other regions but they play a fundamental role in Tuscany.

In this regard, it is also interesting to underline the strong interpenetration between these sectors which confirms that in Tuscany there are strong supply chains of some product categories, capable of managing the product from the raw material to the final launch.

This is the issue of the footwear business which finds its conception, production and, often, export in Tuscany. In fact, big fashion brands have their shoes produced by Tuscan shoe factories and then place them on the international market.

Which brands produce in Tuscany?

Therefore, the statistical data speak of a growing sector from various points of view which over time has become an international reference for those who want to offer consumers a high quality shoe.

In this context there are fashion companies that historically have settled their headquarters in this region and continue to produce in their own factories, as well as Italian and foreign brands that address the local supplier that can guarantee the quality of Made in Tuscany.

In particular, some foreign fashion groups in recent years have chosen to rely on Tuscan shoe manufacturers because they know that they can count on a complete supply chain that starts from the raw material to ends with the finished product.

The stories of some historic brands are well known, such as Prada, which was founded in Milan in 1913 and today has several factories in Tuscany, in addition to a net of local laboratories who execute certain types of production or processing.

On the same way we find the historic Florentine brand Ferragamo who for years already has outsourced the specialized production of some product categories by relying on high-level local laboratories, while maintaining the management of the most important production phases in-house (such as the historic prototyping department).

If we look abroad, the case history of Manolo Blahnik is emblematic, who found the  sought-after perfection in Tuscany: since 2017 the men’s shoes of the famous London brand have been produced in Vinci, in Tuscany, by Fratelli Borgioli.

Equally interesting is the operation carried out by the Swiss group Richemont which in 2007 settled in Scandicci with the aim to develop the leather goods of the Montblanc brand; but within a short time the group decided to expand its Tuscan pole with the intention of transforming it into a creative “forge” for the products of other brands of the group, such as Cartier and Dunhill.

After this quick overview, the question arises: “Why do these brands choose Made in Tuscany for the footwear production?”

Why choose a Tuscan shoe factory

So let’s try to answer this question.

The success of the Tuscan production of handcrafted footwear is due to a combination of unique elements, such as:

• the local presence of high quality raw materials;
• the long experience of the producers in the various steps of the supply chain;
• the usage of ancient techniques and processes that guarantee the quality and durability of the shoes;
• the presence of a precious know-how that is often handed down from generation to generation.

Regarding the last point we should highlight that the large groups try to encourage the exchange of this wealth of information and artisan knowledge within their factories in order to progressively train their workers.

There is another fundamental point to consider: luxury brands aim to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The production of one’s shoes in Tuscany not only guarantees the highest quality but also the acquisition of a certain prestige which can increase the brand’s reputation and attract high-level customers.

The value of Made in Tuscany is recognized and appreciated all over the world. The choice to entrust one’s production to the land which for centuries has been the cradle of high-level artists and craftsmen is recognized as an added value.

Fratelli Borgioli, the historic Tuscan artisan brand of men’s 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 collection of own-brand footwear with all the characteristics that have made Fratelli Borgioli a brand appreciated by international fashion houses and by all lovers of beauty.

Furthermore, Fratelli Borgioli has become the reference for the most important high fashion brands that are looking for a shoe manufacturer in Tuscany capable to guarantee perfection, organization, know-how and punctuality.

Contact us to find out the service we can offer to your brands, CONTATTACI.