The small Berluti boutique in the Mall of the Emirates today can be proud to be part of the new, recently opened Fashion Dome wing, which hosts the most famous and expensive designer boutiques. In order to adequately prepare for this discovery, Berluti also updated both the interior and the collections. Here everything, as before, speaks of selectivity, luxury and manual, or, perhaps, even piece work. What offers us a boutique of exquisite and unique shoes for men created by a woman, we asked Pierre Buso, Director General of Berluti, who arrived in Dubai.
Pierre, please tell us what new things appeared in the collections of Berluti at the end of the first decade of the 21st century? To begin with, for those who are not yet very familiar with the brand, I recall that Berluti shoes appeared at the end of the XIX century.
The founder of the Berluti dynasty - Alessandro Berluti - moved from his native Italy to Paris, where he began to manufacture shoes for individual orders. Back in 1885, Alessandro came up with a model of men's shoes sewn from a single piece of leather. No rough seams, nothing more, nowhere rubs. These shoes have become famous. Subsequently, the technology only improved.
Alessandro's son, Torello, continued his family business and in 1928 opened the 26th Luxury Shoes from Berluti store in Rue Marbeuf, capital of France. Berluti ordered shoes from the Duke of Windsor, who spoke of the boots as "beautiful, albeit a little vulgar." Today, Berluti is no longer talked about like that. Then we continued the family business: Talbinio Bernuti and Olga Bernuti, his cousin. What you see in our collections is mainly the ideas and vision of modern luxurious men's shoes that belong to Olga. This year, in the renovated Dubai boutique, we are starting to offer individual tailoring of Beluti shoes, which, in general, we were going to do for a long time. I hope this service will appeal to both local residents and foreign citizens.
In order to sew shoes to order, you need a good anatomy of the male foot and the right measurements, right?
Yes, sure, Believe me, not a single man in the world will sacrifice the convenience of shoes for the sake of her beauty. That is why people who have bought Berluti shoes once, wear them for decades and do not complain about inconvenience, but, on the contrary, tell everyone about the unprecedented quality, durability and longevity of our shoes and boots. Moreover, in our factory you can always restore any well-worn Berluti shoes. In addition, we can choose the color of the finished shoes ourselves: many shoes are sold unpainted at all. When the customer chooses the color of the shoe, his pair is subjected to "patination". This is also a whole ceremony: fully finished shoes are given to the owner in a few days.
We sew custom-made shoes in Paris. Our specially trained measurers take measurements from the male foot for at least 40 minutes (usually longer). This is a whole action that begins with massage of the feet so that the foot relaxes and the measurements are as accurate as possible. Now such a measurer also works in a Dubai boutique, but the order is still sent to France, and it will take about six months to wait for the finished pair, or maybe longer.
Is it possible to speed up this process?
In addition to the fact that all the stages of manufacturing our shoes are handmade, it’s also very important to give the product a “rest” for some time after each operation. Therefore, usually we order several pairs of shoes at once, so that the wait is not so tiring. Berluti boots are iconic shoes; they don’t just wear them. It is collected, restored and repainted from time to time. And like almost every cult brand, this success is associated with a sense of a certain elitism, belonging to the club of the elite.
Pierre, tell me, does the Berluti shoe fan club really exist?
I heard about him. The club of connoisseurs of our brand is called Swann. Once a year we arrange receptions for our fans. An obligatory element of the dress code at the reception are Berluti boots. At the end of the evening, our guests take off their shoes and put their expensive shoes on the table, and then pour Dom Perignon champagne on it. Such a tradition. And, mind you, nothing is done about the shoe, because all of it goes through a special process of “patinating” the skin, which I once invented. In the process of patination, the skin is bleached many times, and you can get virtually any shade of it, depending on the color of the client’s suit. Such skin is called Venecia and only Berluti brand works with it.
What special things do you offer in the Middle East market?
Taking into account the love of the region's people for open shoes, we offer in Dubai luxury Berluti men's sandals, as well as almost all models from our pret-a-porte collections. The accessory range is represented by numerous travel bags, briefcases and bags, purses, belts, business card holders and so on. We have expanded the collection of our accessories, and I think in the Berluti boutique you can always pick up a gift for an elegant man who adheres to a classic style.
