Bontoni

About the brand

  • handmade in italy
  • conspicuously crafted
  • discreetly elegant

The 'calzolai' at Bontoni craft shoes of beauty and quality. Dedicated to maintaining the utmost character and individuality of each shoe, Bontoni chooses to produce just a limited number of pairs per year; there is no compromising. ...read more

Each Bontoni shoe requires hundreds of hand-stitches. To achieve the shoe's precise contour, the 'calzolaio' performs more than 300 tasks, including stitching the leather, moulding and tacking the upper onto the last, and compressing the fibres of the leather. Only after the upper had 'riposato' ("slept") on its last for a minimum of 25 days does the master craftsman begin the laborious process of hand-stitching the welt.

The secret behind the appearance and comfort of Bontoni shoes lies in their choice of leathers. Bontoni uses the finest leathers throughout the whole shoe. In fact, the first 'comandamento' of our leather is to only use the highest quality leathers from the most reputable tanneries. Selecting the most supple and sturdiest leathers requires specific expertise. The leather cutter carefully inspects every centimeter of hide and skin, ensuring that the textures of the leathers are consistent throughout the entire piece.

The ‘calzolaio’ then applies his secret finishing techniques to the supple leathers, like a master artist guiding his brush across a canvas. The burnishing and antiquing effects created by the craftsman have evolved into a look and feel that is distinctly Bontoni.

The range of colors is exhaustive; bright and dark hues in ‘melanzana’, hazelnut, chestnut, ‘nero-giallo’, cocoa, ‘rosa’, burgundy, smoked black and ‘prugna’, just to name a few. Every pair is coloured entirely by hand and requires three hours of hand finishing. Due to the extraordinary nature of the technique, no two pairs of shoes are the same. 

The sole, from both a workmanship and aesthetic standpoint, merits at least as much attention and imagination as the upper. After the ‘calzolaio’ has hand-cut the naturally tanned leathers, the soles are hand colored in typical Bontoni style, and are ironed and waxed to seal in the unique properties. Yet another expression of the brand’s commitment to perfection.

 

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