The colors of handcrafted shoes: how to choose the right color for your brand?

The color of the shoes in your footwear line can be a distinctive and memorable element of your brand. Provided that it is chosen based on well-defined criteria.


In fact, in a shoe design project, nothing can be left to a chance. Even the shoe with the most attractive outlines and the best finishing, unfortunately, can turn out to be a real commercial flop if the perfect color shade is not carefully selected to enhance its characteristics and meet the taste of the public for which it is been thought of.

How can you be sure to choose the right color for the footwear that will bear your brand’s mark? Here are some tips to help you make your decision.

The right color reflects your brand identity

Rifletti sull’identità e sullo stile del tuo marchio. Se ha un’estetica chiara e definita, i colori delle scarpe della tua linea dovrebbero rispecchiare quest’estetica. Ad esempio, un marchio noto per la sua eleganza potrebbe optare per colori classici e sofisticati, mentre un marchio giovane e vivace potrebbe puntare su colori accattivanti e alla moda.

Think about your brand identity and style. If it has a clear and defined aesthetic, the colors of the shoes in your line should reflect this aesthetic. For example, a brand known for its elegance might opt ​​for classic and sophisticated colors, while a young and vibrant brand might focus on eye-catching and trendy colors.

So you can also be bold in your choices, but you should always make sure that the colors you choose are consistent with your vision and your brand positioning.

The right color meets the taste of your target audience

To make sure you conquer a specific segment of buyers with your footwear, you need to know exactly what the tastes of the people you would like to sell to are!

For this reason, before choosing the colors for your shoe line you must first clearly define the target you are addressing and then carry out a market analysis to understand what the desires and preferences of this segment of the public are.

Don’t get any illusions: the right color for your footwear is not chosen based on a moment’s inspiration, but is the result of in-depth studies.

The right color for next season? Experts already know which are they

You always have to consider current fashion trends and the seasons in which your shoe line will be available on the market.

This is why it is essential that you entrust the production of your handcrafted footwear to an expert shoe factory that has been working with various fashion brands for some time: these credentials ensure that the shoe factory’s internal pattern makers are always up to date on upcoming trends and are able to advise you exactly on the colors that will meet the public’s favor.

The right color enhances the models and materials you have chosen for your footwear line

A beautiful shoe can become a masterpiece if it is made in the right shade of leather or fabric. In the same way, the wrong color can penalize even a finely made shoe without the possibility of remedy. Some colors, then, may work better or worse than others on certain materials or finishes.

There are colors that can make your footwear iconic, because they interpret the style of the moment or because they match perfectly with your clothing collection. To identify them you need appropriate training and great experience in the footwear sector, which is based on dynamics that are totally different from other branches of design. The specialization of the shoe factory you rely on is an important guarantee for choosing the color of your next line of branded shoes.

The right color reflects your values

Does company pay attention to sustainability? Then you have to choose a color with low environmental impact.

And maybe even a color palette that expresses your attention to the environment, because only in this way will you intercept the right audience for you, which is made up of people who don’t buy just any shoe and who tend to want to clearly express their green inclination.

Or maybe your company has an artisanal vocation? In this case, a coloring performed with traditional artisan shoemaking methods could be a feature capable of attracting the interest of the right target of buyers.

The choice of color for your footwear line is very delicate when your brand is strongly characterized in terms of values. A mistake could turn into a potential boomerang with a disastrous impact on the image.

The right color can make the handcrafted shoes designed for your brand a must have! However, as we have just seen, choosing the perfect shade may not be easy at all.

By relying on an experienced and internationally qualified artisan shoe manufacturer, you can ensure that your shoe design project takes into consideration not only the selection of materials and the necessary production steps but also all the important market information to conquer your target audience.

Fratelli Borgioli, a historic Tuscan artisan brand of men’s footwear, offers its customers the Private Label service. With the consultancy of the company’s product development team and its internal pattern making department, it is possible to create for your own brand a collection of footwear with all the characteristics that have made Fratelli Borgioli a brand appreciated by international fashion houses and by all lovers of beauty.

For this reason Fratelli Borgioli has become the reference point for the most important high fashion brands who are looking for a shoe manufacturer in Tuscany capable to guarantee perfection, organisation, know-how and punctuality.

To find out what services we can offer your brand, , CONTACT US.

How to communicate the value of a Made in Italy shoe to your customers?

Every retailer of Italian handmade shoes is pondering on this very question. Moreover, nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to convey to the market the value of one’s shop and of the proper commercial choices.

Made in Italy shoes are not just a functional product, but a product that embodies an entire series of values and meanings, such as tradition, quality, care, style and elegance, capable of giving to the customer the real purchase experience.

The customer who enters your shop will not only find the shoes, but also the attention, love and care that the crasfmen put into the production of each single shoe.

Buying a Made in Italy shoe is certainly not an impulse purchase.

To convince the customer to pay a premium price, he should be well aware of the advantages and qualities that differentiate Italian handmade shoes from any other pair of shoes on the market. Therefore, it is clear how important is communication in conveying this system of values that characerizes Made in Italy artisan shoes.

What are the aspects that you should highlight to your clientele?

Let’s see them more in detail.

The reputation of Made in Italy

Made in Italy is known all over the world as a synonym of high fashion, quality, craftsmanship, timelesess style and innovation.

These characteristics have ensured that Italy has reached the first place in fashion. In fact, there is no coincidence that the Italians are famous abroad for their style and how they dress up.

The brand Made in Italy has a global reputation: according to a study published by Forbes magazine, Made in Italy takes the seventh place in terms of reputation among world consumers.

The retailers of Made in Italy footwear should know how to convey these strong points to the clients and make them clear that wearing a Made in Italy shoe they will certainly get noticed!

The tradition

Made in Italy handmade shoes are the result of a long Italian tradition, handed down over the years, from craftsman to crasftsman.

Each shoe is made by people who cultivate a great passion and love for their work. Each shoe is produced with the utmost care for the raw materials, the shape, the sole (leather sole is preferred to rubber one) and the details. Therefore, Italian handmade shoes do not represent a simple “product” but a real piece of art.

The creation of an Italian handmade shoe starts from the creation of the design, that includes the analysis of the main contemporary trends, always maintaining the classic and timeless styles, typical of Italian footwear.

Then comes the cutting of the leather which determinese the added value of the shoe, and contributes to its beauty and quality. This process depends entirely on the skills and experience of the craftsman.

The next step is stitching, when the upper is connected to the lining putting the hardeners on toe and heel.

Then follows the assembly process, when all the components of the shoe are put together, paying the utmost attention to symmetries and details.

Finally, the final step is hand finishing which consists in polishing the leather, lacing and meticulously checking the shoe.

When a customer enters your shop to buy a pair of shoes, try to show him the different steps of the production process of handcrafted footwear, so as to let him know the tradition and artistic value that lie behind each shoe.

Made to order

Each person is different in tastes and style, as well as in the shape of their feet. We cannot think of being able to produce shoes that are the same for everyone, capable of fully satisfying each customer.

Made in Italy handmade shoe sector offers the possibility of „Made to Order”, i.e. the possibility of customizing footwear based on the customers’s style and preferences, as well as on the basis of his foot shape, in order to guarantee maximum comfort and satistasfaction.

The customization of footwear is a strong point that distinguishes Made in italy shoes from those of competitors, and contribues to creating value for the customer.

The sustainability of supply chain

Environmental impact is a problem that affects all of us. The consumer is becoming increasingly aware of the fact that his choices in terms of consumption can have an impact on the environment. Consequently more and more consumers are opting for green solutions which respect the environment and reduce its pollution.

It is well known that the fashion sectors, including the footwear sector, have a significant environmental impact. Every year around 20 billion shoes are produced, and, according to a study carried out by MIT, the production of a pair of shoes produces an average of 30 kg of carbon dioxide.

This problem is partly due to the increasing spread of fast fashion: people tend to buy cheap shoes that they will use for a very limited period of time and then throw them away. It is evident that this consumption trend produces a lot of waste, which has very negative consequences on the environment.

Made in Italy handmade shoes have nothing to do with fast fashion: the craftsmen produce each shoe by hand, paying particular attention to the usage of the best raw materials, free of any toxic or polluting substance. The high quality of the shoes means that they last over time, without the need to be constantly changed, consequently reducing the amount of waste produced and the impact on the environment.

It is, therefore, crucial to focus communication on these advantages: a consumer who is sensitive to respect for the environment will be willing to pay a premium price for a sustainable product.

Fratelli Borgioli footwear embodies the strengths of Made in Italy: every shoe made by Fratelli Borgioli is a piece of art, the result of a long family tradition that began more than seventy years ago in La Stella di Vinci, in Tuscany.

Fratelli Borgioli shoes are unique in their style, thanks to the great care and passion that the craftsmen put into the production of each shoe, which give each model immense beauty and quality. Would you like to know more about our products and about the exclusive advantaged reserved for Fratelli Borgioli retailers? CONTATTACI.