The Berluti shoe thread

[macuser3of5]

I haven't seen Berlutis in person, but the variated patinas on some of the more 'normal' lasted shoes are simply gorgeous (as photographed). Reminds me of some of the wacky stuff we did in metalsmithing, though I doubt they use horse urine and salt to stain their shoes.

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

The ones with the clown shoe toe?

It's more like a shark-mouth...

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by fritzl

It's more like a shark-mouth...

LOL

It's coming for you, AF!

 

[stilmacher]

The most amazing thing about Berluti is their marketing. I love (some) of their designs and their patina but since I learned the truth about them I sold all the pairs I owned but one. Very nearly nothing comunicated about the brand is true. Not even Mrs Berluti. Sure, she is a real person, but she has very little to do with the Berluti family and their heritage of craftsmanship.
Of the 7 pairs I owned and maybe 20 I sold, not a single one was goodyear welted - all blake. None of the leathers were properly dyed but rather painted. Older models seem to be of better quality (a LVMH phenomenon if you ask me). Despite their efforts of reducing costs (-> quality) they lost 900.000 Euro last year.
In effect I think there are better, more exclusive and more stylish shoe-makers around (Corthay, Aubercy...) who make an equally exciting product in terms of design, with much better quality and at the same price-level.
I will post some pictures later on today.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by stilmacher

In effect I think there are better ... and more stylish shoe-makers around (Corthay, Aubercy...) who make an equally exciting product in terms of design, with much better quality

To the list I would gladly even add Allen Edmonds. I am serious. To which I would even add Kiton (though more expensive). Grief, did I write that....??? At least they are both Goodyear welted.

I tried on some Berlutis in NYC at Barney's as well as the Berluti stores and I agree that the quality simply fails to justify the absurd price.

 

[Artisan Fan]

To the list I would gladly even add Allen Edmonds. I am serious. To which I would even add Kiton (though more expensive). Grief, did I write that....??? At least they are both Goodyear welted.

Sator, the artisan hater.

So you would prefer AE to Kiton? That's a new level of ridiculousness in your hatred of the Kiton brand.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Very nearly nothing comunicated about the brand is true. Not even Mrs Berluti. Sure, she is a real person, but she has very little to do with the Berluti family and their heritage of craftsmanship.

Rubbish. She has been a strong influence on the firm and basically served as head of operations for many years. She has also developed many of the trademark Berluti processes like the patina/polishing and Swann Club.

I don't mind if members don't care for Berluti but at least get your facts right.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Sator, the artisan hater.

So you would prefer AE to Kiton? That's a new level of ridiculousness in your hatred of the Kiton brand.

NO! NO! I didn't say I hate Kiton shoes. I just said I prefer them to Berluti. That's all. OK. If you want to read into this that I hate Berluti so much that it makes my attitude towards Kiton seem like Eternal and Unconditional Love, then so be it

But what I did say is that I prefer AEs to Berlutis because they are at least Goodyear welted, wearable and unobtrusively styled.

 

[Artisan Fan]

NO! NO! I didn't say I hate Kiton shoes. I just said I prefer them to Berluti.

Oh well that's different. It was confusing how you wrote it. I also would prefer Kiton to Berluti.

There are some Berluti that are Goodyear welted so I think it depends on the shoe. Their bespoke shoes are very well made.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Rubbish. She has been a strong influence on the firm and basically served as head of operations for many years. She has also developed many of the trademark Berluti processes like the patina/polishing and Swann Club.

I don't mind if members don't care for Berluti but at least get your facts right.

Is the Swann Club really a Berluti process? It's a mythical group of people who get together to shine shoes; according to Berluti PR, it came about more or less on its own.

According to Berluti PR, Olga is the only woman shoemaker in the world, which is certainly not true, and I would be stunned if she's actually worked on a shoe in years. That's a given, the way that the heads of tailoring firms may serve apprenticeships before moving into head office. Clearly, what she brings to it now is a powerful brand image, uttering mystifying... utterances. My impression is that she was very, very influential in developing some of Berluti's extremely influential styles, such as the piercings and tatoues, and that she may have particpated in the development of Berluti as a flashy, multicolored shoe rather than as the rather conservative shoe Alan Flusser wrote about 20 years ago in Making the Man. Of course, now that Berluti is embarking on worldwide expansion, the colors are being damped down to choices of browns and blacks, since the others require more personalized attention and service. However, if the "Indio" is any indication of where Olga's at currently, she probably should step away from the helm for a while.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Oh well that's different. It was confusing how you wrote it. I also would prefer Kiton to Berluti.

There are some Berluti that are Goodyear welted so I think it depends on the shoe. Their bespoke shoes are very well made.

In the Madison Ave Berluti store they even have a cut open shoe proudly displaying the Blake construction! I was aghast and amazed. I even saw a pair of Berlutis that I actually liked. It was their wholecut in plain and sleek black. I thought that it was a very conservative and tasteful shoe. But when I gave it a bit of thought, I just couldn't possibly justify paying that price for a Blake construction shoe. I ended up buying some JM Westons insteads.

BTW I would never buy Kiton shoes at full price either - way overpriced as well as overstylised. The same problem that afflicts the majority of Berlutis. But as someone who reactes to most 'shoe Appreciation' with horror, I admit such things are perhaps a matter of taste.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Is the Swann Club really a Berluti process? It's a mythical group of people who get together to shine shoes; according to Berluti PR, it came about more or less on its own.

Gee aren't we being picky. Sure, the Swann Club is a bit of an event but Olga certainly was the inspiration for it based on what I have read and heard from store managers. This firm pre-LVMH was very identified with Olga and she effectively ran the show. I'm not sure how you get to a statement that "she has very little to do with the Berluti family and their heritage of craftsmanship. "

 

[stilmacher]

Rubbish yourself Artisan. When you claim that some of the Berluti ready to wear shoes are goodyear welted you make very clear who hasn't checked his facts. If Olga Berluti developed the patina for her shoes she might be a good painter but it does not make her a shoe-maker.
She is a marketing genius (-> artisan fan posts above) but she has little to do with shoe-making. Trust me on this, I know for fact.

 

[Artisan Fan]

When you claim that some of the Berluti ready to wear shoes are goodyear welted

I have seen Goodyear welted shoes in the London store on several occasions.

She is a marketing genius (-> artisan fan posts above) but she has little to do with shoe-making. Trust me on this, I know for fact.

I've personally (with my own eyes) seen her get very involved with the measurement of customer's feet and the final stage of polishing on a pair of bespoke shoes. Like any good owner of a small business she is also good at sales.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by stilmacher

Rubbish yourself Artisan. When you claim that some of the Berluti ready to wear shoes are goodyear welted you make very clear who hasn't checked his facts. If Olga Berluti developed the patina for her shoes she might be a good painter but it does not make her a shoe-maker.
She is a marketing genius (-> artisan frn posts above) but she has little to do with shoe-making. Trust me on this, I know for fact.
To be fair, the Berluti site used to say that some of their RTW was Goodyear, Africa, Ferrarese or Bentivegna (?) welted.