In 2004, distant cousins Franco Gazzani and Lewis Cutillo gave their family shoemaking business a name and stateside distribution. Today, Bontoni shoes can be found ready-to-wear in some of North America’s most exclusive stores, or can be commissioned made-to-measure at the original family workshop in Montegranaro, Italy. AskMen.com sat down with Franco and Lewis to talk about the Bontoni brand, buying bespoke, shoe maintenance, and fashion tips for men.
You can check out our gallery of Bontoni shoes. And you can learn more about them at Bontoni.com.
Bontoni backgrounder
Franco: Bontoni is a small family-owned workshop whose main objective is to preserve the art of handmade shoemaking, which has been passed down over three generations. In late 2004, we decided to introduce our shoes to retailers with a dream and very clear objective in mind: Introduce Bontoni shoes to the finest 30-40 clothiers in the world. We are well on our way to realizing this dream.
Lewis: Our first foray into retail was with Louis Boston in late 2004. From that point on it has been an incredible success story. From there we managed to get into Stanley Korshak, Wilkes Bashford, Bergdorf Goodman… some of the most reputable stores in the United States.
So prior to 2004, where would one seek out Bontoni shoes?
Lewis: The name Bontoni didn’t exist before 2004. Prior to this, Franco’s father and uncle were only making shoes for friends and friends of friends. They didn't even bother putting labels on the shoes; for them, it was more a hobby than a business. But given the quality and beauty of the shoes, Franco felt that there was a real opportunity to approach specialty retailers with them. So we decided to launch the Bontoni brand to give it some formality.
At the beginning, Franco’s father was against selling shoes to the stores, but we managed to convince him. He did, however, have one stipulation: We could sell to retailers in the United States, but not in Italy. So in Italy it’s still the way that it was before 2004, where clients still come to our workshop and we do mostly made-to-order and custom. As a result the Bontoni brand isn't really known across Italy. But that's fine with us; we prefer to remain known to a smaller group of people here.
So the Bontoni shoe production process has probably changed drastically…
Lewis: Actually, it hasn’t changed that much; the only difference is that we're now putting labels on our shoes! We're also producing a greater quantity than we did before, but still no more than 12 pairs a day. Bontoni really is a cottage industry in every sense. It’s family-owned and the production is done quite literally in-house: The workshop is located in Franco’s house. When customers come to Italy for made-to-order or bespoke shoes, they are fitted in Franco’s basement.
As part of our bespoke process, it’s important that Franco’s father understand the tastes and idiosyncrasies of the client. So part of the process is that they get to know each other, and this is usually done over lunch. Franco's father has been known to serve his clients his homemade wine as they eat together and discuss the different styles and options that the bespoke customer has to choose from.
The client will be shown different models to get his feedback on what he does or doesn’t like, and from there we'll try to guide him toward something that we know he'll like. Once the client settles on a style, we'll take a set of measurements, then use these measurements to hand-carve a replica of the client’s foot, called a last, from scratch. The last is basically a wooden replica of your foot that we keep in the workshop.
There are three separate fittings through the whole process. So the client has to come back to the workshop or we have to send the prototype out to the client three different times for fittings. The whole process takes around five months and there’s a lot of work involved.
How did Bontoni make the transition from creating custom shoes tailored for individual clients to creating ready-to-wear shoes for a mass of male consumers?
Franco: When you have a beautiful product like ours it makes it so much easier to enter a new market. We knew that we had a very special product that differed from all other shoes. So when we first entered the U.S. market, we didn't really revolutionize our styles, colors or anything else.
Lewis: We were fortunate because Franco’s grandfather had created his own collection of shoes over the years. So the lasts and some of the models that we use for our shoes today -- the ready-made shoes that are sold in the United States -- emanate from this original collection from Franco’s grandfather.
We’ve managed to create a collection that is both classic and contemporary. We define it as a timeless Italian elegance. Our shoes can be worn with jeans, or a ,000 bespoke suit. And we’re doing things that are very different in the classic shoe marketplace. We’re introducing unique styles that are refreshing interpretations of classics. And retailers and customers are just amazed by the shoes that we’re coming out with. For instance, we came out with a triple buckled shoe. It sounds ostentatious, but it’s very understated and is actually one of our best-selling shoes.
Franco: The Bontoni style bases itself on the theory of Italian elegance and good taste. Every pair of Bontoni shoes has a distinct identity that is rooted in a refined style, a discreet elegance that is never ostentatious. Many of our models today draw their inspiration from iconoclastic styles created in the 1960s by my father and uncle, both of whom inherited this sense of refined taste from their father, who was a bespoke shoemaker, and mother, who was arguably one of the best seamstresses in all of Montegranaro.
Shoe buying tips
What are the signs of quality that a man shopping for ready-to-wear shoes should look for?
Franco: Without a doubt the construction of the shoes is the first important element. If you're looking for a solid shoe that will last for years, then the shoe should have at least two separate stitchings. If the shoe is glued together, don't expect it to last too long.
The next thing you should look at is the quality of the leather. You can test it by touching it; it should feel soft and supple. Finally, pay attention to see if the coloring is done by hand. A lot of shoe companies will try to make their shoes look as if they were colored by hand when in fact they weren't. Only when the shoe is colored by hand can you obtain those incredible natural looking dark and light hues.
Lewis: If you see that the leather is cracking, that’s a sign that the leather is not good quality. It’s like paint cracking. And if you try on the shoes and see that the leather creases very easily, that’s a sign that the leather is not of top quality.
How much should a man be prepared to spend on shoes?
Lewis: I think every man should have at least one pair of handmade shoes, and if you’re going to buy a pair of well-made handmade shoes, then you need to spend at least ,000. But before someone makes that decision he needs to be educated on what goes into a pair of shoes. Unless he knows the work, the craftsmanship, and the time that goes into a good pair of handmade shoes, he’ll never appreciate them or want to buy them.
Our feeling is that you’re better off buying one pair of well-made shoes rather than five shoes that cost 0 each and last one year each. The same goes with suits; you’re better off investing in two or three handmade suits rather than five or six suits that are 0 each, because they’re not going to last you. Handmade shoes are an investment. You’re going to invest in these shoes but they’re also going to last you for 15 or 20 years.
Shoe maintenance
Lewis: Even if your shoes are well-made you still have to take care of them. You can’t expect your shoes to last if you don’t take care of them -- if you don’t shine them or if you wear them two days in a row. We’re big on telling our clients to never wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. You should always give your shoes at least a day of rest. The moisture that is collected needs to dry out, and you need to put your shoe trees in the shoes so that they can maintain their form.
You also need to shine your shoes. If you shine them once or twice a week they’ll maintain their luster. But you also have to brush them if they get dirty or scuffed… you have to pay attention to them.
Are there some initial steps a new-shoe owner can take to protect his purchase?
Lewis: We sell in a lot of cities where the weather is not great, like Seattle or Portland where it rains a lot. Some of our clients here request that we put rubber soles on the bottom. These rubber soles will help preserve the shoes from the elements for much longer.
Our soles are hand colored, so putting a rubber sole on them takes some of the beauty away. And we also etch clients' names on the bottom of the sole, so it would be a bit of a pity to cover that up with rubber. So with Bontoni shoes I think that initially you’re better off leaving the leather soles exposed. Worst case scenario, you can always go to a cobbler to get rubber soles added later.
Male fashion mistakes
What are the most common male fashion mistakes?
Lewis: I think a lot of men, especially in the United States, don’t really place enough emphasis on their shoes; they treat them more as an afterthought. The irony is that if a man doesn't pay enough attention to his shoes, other people will -- and for the wrong reasons! Walk down the street in any city in the United States and you’ll see men wearing clunky shoes. I don't understand how some men will invest in a ,000 hand-tailored Neapolitan suit, and match it with a ghastly looking pair of shoes. It’s such a waste!
Another problem has to do with color: Men are very loyal to black and brown shoes. One of the things we’re trying to do at Bontoni is educate our customers in this regard -- men need to be more adventurous when it comes to the color of their shoes. We offer some of the most magnificent colors; we have olives, we have reds, we have bordeaux, we have aubergines. In Italy a lot of men are wearing cognac shoes with navy suits, and you don’t really see that here in the United States. American men have more restrained color palettes. So I think it’s about educating the customers not only about the construction of a shoe but also about the fact that you can wear these colors.
Shoes are one of the most evaluated accessories in a man’s wardrobe. So I always tell our customers that we want them to buy our shoes then go and buy a suit based on the shoes they bought -- not the other way around!
Franco: Based on our experience, things are slowly evolving. The elegant individual is beginning to pay even closer attention to his shoes. Of all the accessories and items in a gentleman's wardrobe, nothing is more important than shoes for expressing one's character.
Best fashion city
Franco: There’s no question that there are many Americans that dress exceptionally well and recognize quality when they see it. In my opinion, the Italians are masters at mixing and matching certain details and different name brands to create a look that is truly unique and personal. In this sense, the concept of look that depends on a single brand is now something of the past.
In my opinion, there doesn’t exist a single fashion capital that embraces all the elements of a gentleman’s wardrobe. I would say that Milan is probably the capital of prêt-a-porter and for couture it is either Paris or Rome. When I think of handmade suits it’s Naples that comes to mind. As far as classic men’s dress shoes are concerned, where else but Montegranaro -- our town! |
