By Giulia Piceni. Photos by Gabriele Busi.
Firenze has always been at the heart of Italian craftsmanship and luxury fashion, especially in leather, boots, sneakers, and accessories. Here, tradition meets next-level innovation. At Istituto Marangoni Firenze, students don’t just design shoes—they build personal brands, turning bold ideas into real collections. In the second edition of Behind the Shoes, in collaboration with Leather & Luxury, the bilingual magazine dedicated to highlighting Made in Italy excellence, future designers created capsule collections inspired by FW25/26 trends, exploring the cutting-edge of style and tech.
The vibe? Artisanal Intelligence: blending old-school skills with digital tools, high-tech materials, and next-gen techniques—craft elevated without losing its soul. The initiative allowed students of the Master in Luxury Accessories Design & Management to engage with both creative ideation and industrial feasibility, moving beyond purely conceptual design. Participants developed a capsule collection of women’s footwear including heels, boots, and sneakers for their personal brand, reflecting one of the four FW25/26 trends curated by Leather & Luxury.
How Shoes Are Born: Inside the Design Lab
Ever wondered what it takes to design a shoe? It’s not just about style—it’s an adventure that mixes imagination, skill, and a foolproof method. A shoe is an architectural object that carries people through their world.
At Behind the Shoes, footwear design is an iterative journey where creativity, research, and technical know-how collide. Students start by defining their personal brand, pinpointing their ideal customer, and crafting a story for their capsule collection. Then they dive into the nitty-gritty: colored sketches, variations of each model, full-scale technical drawings, and detailed technical sheets covering materials, accessories, and construction.
This hands-on approach turns the classroom into a laboratory: students weigh sustainability, market positioning, and manufacturability, learning how each design choice affects both aesthetics and production. It’s a holistic method that trains graduates to thrive at the intersection of creativity and industry.
From Sketch to Shoe: Inside the Full Footwear Design Process
Students first defined their personal brand identity, articulated a target consumer profile, and established a coherent narrative for their capsule. They then progressed through stages of design development, including colored sketches, variations of individual models, full-scale technical drawings, and comprehensive technical sheets detailing materials, accessories, and construction processes. The project’s methodology required students to address functionality, innovation, aesthetics, and brand values simultaneously, ensuring that their work was both visionary and grounded in the practical requirements of production.
Istituto Marangoni Firenze framed this process as a learning laboratory, in which students critically assessed their choices in terms of sustainability, market positioning, and manufacturability. By integrating research on materials, processes, and trends with the technical requirements of footwear production, participants developed a nuanced understanding of how design decisions impacted both aesthetic outcomes and production feasibility. This emphasis on a holistic design methodology underlined the school’s commitment to producing graduates capable of operating successfully at the intersection of creativity and industry.
Craft Meets Tech: How the Next Gen Designs Shoes
Think sneakers are just shoes? Think again. At Behind the Shoes, students become Technological Artisans, experimenting with digital prints, reimagined soles, advanced leather treatments, and innovative accessories—all while respecting heritage craftsmanship.
Collaboration is key: designers work hand-in-hand with craftsmen and tech experts to push materials, processes, and ideas in ways luxury footwear has never seen. The result? Shoes that are as forward-thinking as they are rooted in heritage.
This approach allowed students to explore new material applications, optimise production processes, and envision unexpected solutions, reflecting a broader trend within luxury footwear towards combining heritage and innovation. By promoting this mindset, Istituto Marangoni Firenze positioned its students at the forefront of contemporary design, equipping them with the conceptual, technical, and strategic skills necessary to thrive in a competitive global market.
Why Mentorship Matters in Luxury Footwear Design
Mentorship isn’t just a buzzword at Behind the Shoes—it’s the secret sauce. Students got up close with Felipe Fiallo, a sustainable footwear whiz and Marangoni alumnus, learning how to dream big while keeping designs real-world ready. Radical creativity meets manufacturing reality here, with hands-on feedback from experts and an industry-savvy jury. The result? A space where ideas grow, skills sharpen, and students build connections that go way beyond the classroom.
The structured mentorship, coupled with the engagement of an expert jury, created a dynamic environment in which students received critical feedback on all aspects of their design, from conceptual framing to practical execution. Istituto Marangoni Firenze facilitated this dialogue, offering students a professional network and experiential knowledge that extended beyond conventional academic boundaries.
From Classroom to Catwalk: Students Hit the Luxury Scene
Partnering with Leather & Luxury turned Behind the Shoes up a notch. The magazine, a go-to for the latest in leather goods and fashion production, gave students’ projects a serious spotlight—online, in print, and at international trade fairs. With a print circulation of 15,000 copies distributed at international trade fairs, to subscribers, clients, and professional networks, as well as digital support through its website, Leather & Luxury offered a platform for student projects to gain visibility within the global luxury market. Winning designs didn’t just stay in class; they hit the global luxury scene, reaching industry insiders and wider audiences, opening doors for recognition and real-world opportunities.
From Sketch to Spotlight: How Students Create Luxury Shoes
The journey at Behind the Shoes was anything but basic. Students kicked off by pitching their personal brand, sketches, color palettes, and technical plans for at least four footwear models. An intermediate jury picked five finalists who then dove into prototyping—working hands-on with top industry partners like David Leather Expressions, Lampo, and Rino Mastrotto. From digital printing to experimenting with leathers, soles, and accessories, they got the full luxury footwear experience. Each student engaged directly with the production chain, from initial mock-ups to refined prototypes, developing both technical competence and an appreciation for the complexity and precision required in luxury footwear manufacturing.
The finale? A public showdown judged by big names such as David Leather Expressions, Ramponi, Rino Mastrotto, Lampo, Labam, Simonetta Rossi, Monti, Italsform, Nastrotex Cufra, Taurini, and BC Servizi. Barbara Borghini, Matteo Caparrini, and Giulia Tanini. Creativity, innovation, and technical skill were the winning formula—like Chiara Guastella’s Visceral Nature, celebrated for blending organic forms, artisanal mastery, and modern tech into a fresh take on femininity.
Next Stop: Lineapelle, Milan (23-25 September)
All this innovation and craftsmanship will be on display at the upcoming Lineapelle in Milan, where the next generation of luxury footwear and accessorieswill take center stage. The footwear created by the students will be showcased at the fair, at the booths of Leather&Luxury, the main partner, as well as at those of the companies involved in the project.
