“Ensuring superior quality involves a level of detail and precision that only the most experienced and skillful shoemakers can offer.”
Situated on a picturesque bend in the Brenta river, halfway between Padua and Venice, lies the small town Fiesso d’Artico. It has a population of only 8,000 and plenty of culture and scenery. For over eight hundred years, the town has made a name for itself as the place where the world’s finest luxury footwear is made.
“The best watchmakers are in and around Geneva,” says Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton’s CEO. “Tanneries are outside Florence. High-end shoe manufacturers are in the Veneto. Silk businesses are around Como. That’s how talent gets transmitted.”
That belief in the value of talent—of individual skill and savoir-faire passed on from artisan to artisan—has been an essential part of Louis Vuitton’s success.
By locating its workshops in centres recognized for excellence in craftsmanship, the company taps into millennia-old traditions of artisanship, creating a gathering place for craftspeople to develop and share new ideas.
These factors make Fiesso d’Artico a natural location for the company’s shoe factory. Comprising four separate workshops, the facility is a 14,000 square metre campus draped in glittering metal rings and shaped like a giant silver shoebox.
On any given day, some 400 craftspeople come together to work on Louis Vuitton’s highly coveted footwear—everything from design and leatherwork to assembly.
To celebrate this craftsmanship, the new Louis Vuitton Manufactures book offers an intimate look at the people bringing the brand’s handcrafted products to life, showcasing the workers’ meticulous attention to detail and time-honoured skills.
The average pair of Louis Vuitton shoes takes about two days to manufacture, with some 150 to 200 individual steps required, depending on the design, materials, and finishing. Ensuring superior quality involves a level of detail and precision that only the most experienced and skillful shoemakers can offer.
In the final step, Italian leatherwork and French design are integrated into the company’s unmistakable logo, decorating every pair of shoes. What’s passed on in each shoe is the spirit of travel and adventure of Louis Vuitton itself.