The tanning and selection of the leather is another important operation. Artioli’s masters personally select the leather each day, selecting from the highest quality leathers.
Only one percent of the best leather in the world is good enough to provide raw material.
For our masterpieces Artioli uses the finest quality full thickness hides, treated with the proven age-old method of slow tanning with pure aniline. Following strict controls, the selected leathers are cut by our experts who then make a selection inside of the singol skin choosing only the best part.
After treatment and preparation the pieces of leather are sewn to form the upper part of the shoe. The unique double and reversed stitching, each stitch is bought back and folded, provides extreme strenght and longevity. Next, the supports are manually applied. The leather cups, arch and heel supporters must perfectly adhere to the last when the shoe upper and the insole are mounted.
Finally the shoe is manually beaten with the hammer and pressed with the iron.The upper rests on the last for many days to slowly dry.Following the drying, the sole is stitched to the upper part.
The hand stitching operation is a magical moment, it fully expresses the mastery of the shoemaker. Due to his complexity and rarity it is this phase that the shoe lovers most admires.
The edge of the sole are hand milled with an expert eye to always ensure the correct line in the connection between the upper and the sole of the shoe, wich is prepared by hand and refined with careful attention.
After a long series of treatments with creams and waxes following Artioli’s tradition methods, it is time for the finishing touches. Our goal of a beautifully and perfectly shaped shoe is finally born in a new Artioli shoe!