The Florence factory behind cult footwear brand Manolo Blahnik
telegraph.co.ukFlorence, looks like an advertisement for the Tuscan tourist board: miles of undulating hillside dotted with cypress trees and bell towers.
Admittedly, the cicadas are drowned out by the noise and industry of the factory floor, as grinding wheels shear soles, and lethal-looking premonta machines stamp the sides of shoes to fix the sole to the upper section, but there's still a sprinkle of magic to the artistry here.This is where most of Manolo Blahnik's men's shoes have been crafted since 2017 by the firm of Fratelli Borgioli (founded by a pair of brothers in 1946).
They make everything from his solid Derbys to his jewelled evening slippers. The company, which is still family-owned, creates luxury men's footwear for a select list of Paris and Milan fashion houses.
But Blahnik's designs are the most intricate.'They have really refined the process, which is why I wanted to have my shoes made there,' explains Blahnik. 'The artisans have spent their lives perfecting what they do.
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