The shoes are all made 100% in Italy. Apart from the high quiality construction of Santoni shoes, the one thing that sets them apart from most high end manufacturers is the colouring – particularly the depth of colour, given the softness of the leather.
Unlike the vast majority of English shoemakers, the shoes are painted rather than burnished or dyed in the leather. And unlike most French and Italian companies, the painting is done slowly and individually. It is this care that creates that depth.
The range of designs available, every season – from summer slip-ons to camo-patterned monks – also gives the buyer a broad range with high quality. Very few European shoemakers have this combination – they are mostly fashion companies or very traditional shoemakers. When Santoni was founded in the 1970s, it was with the intention of injecting extra quality into this market.
Origin: Founded in 1975 by Andrea Santoni in Corridonia (Marche region, Italy), a famous hub for fine shoemaking.
Craftsmanship: Known for blending classic Italian silhouettes with meticulous hand-finishing, soft full-grain leathers, and hand-painted patinas.
Positioning: High-luxury dress and smart-casual footwear, sitting alongside luxury houses like Berluti, Crockett & Jones, and Edward Green.
Style Hybrid: A blend of a traditional Chelsea boot (elastic side gores, rear pull tab) and a classic wingtip brogue (perforated medallion toe cap, serrated edges, and broguing along the seams).
Upper & Finish: Made from high-grade calfskin. Santoni is world-renowned for its velatura technique—hand-applying dyes layer by layer to create depth, burnishing, and a multi-tonal antique patina (evident in the dark burnishing on the toe cap and along the sole line).
Sole & Stitching: Features a welted leather sole with a storm welt or heavy wheeled welt (the textured edge stitching around the perimeter). This offers good weather resistance, a chunkier profile, and allows the boots to be resoled repeatedly.
Interior: Signature tan/yellow leather lining typical of traditional Italian benchmade footwear.
Sizing: Santoni's formal last profiles generally run slightly long/generous compared to standard sizing.