Footwear and bags built with artisanal techniques
Taking back the past, those elements of it that are beautiful and well-made, its craftsmanship, and its archetypes, but at the same time reinterpreting these values in a contemporary key. This is the sentiment of Marco Anzil, designer of women’s leather goods at Salvatore Ferragamo, and recently also the creator of his own brand of the same name that he presented at White during the Milan fashion week.
“Everything stems from my degree thesis focused on sustainability, craftsmanship, and industrialisation. I developed these concepts in bags and shoes for men and women, but in essence they are genderfluid. For example, the bag recalls the hatbox, archetype of all the accessories that I wanted to describe with a modern twist. Shoes, on the other hand, revolve around a boot and a slip-on, which arise from his experimentation with ancient artisan techniques.”
“The boot, which is the manifesto of my collection” – explains Anzil – “is truly handcrafted and is a tribute to the craftsman Orazio, who was 92 when he finished it. Unfortunately, he has now passed away due to Covid. The heel is made from a mahogany piece of furniture that was over a hundred years old and, to ensure a comfortable fit, is the result of an engineering study for relieving pressure on the arch of the foot. Then there is the slip-on, which has a seamless upper and uses recycled leathers and warehouse stock. Thus, I paid a lot of attention to the values of sustainability, to reconnect with nature”. The colours are black and leather that the designer likes to define “nostalgic cuir”, in reference to the ancient flavour of leather and its processing.
Flavia Colli Franzone
Marco Anzil
