Santoni celebrates 50th anniversary with new store and Assouline book

Fashion Network

2 days ago

Despite its rich Italian leather goods history which hails from Italy's epicenter of the trade, Le Marche, it's New York City that remains at the core of the Santoni brand.
Founded with a goal to scale artisanal shoemaking by Andrea Santoni and five employees in 1975, in the family home's garage in Corridonia, it was a suitcase-in-a-hotel-room sales venture in the Big Apple which helped launch the exquisitely crafted shoes.
Now as it marks its 50th anniversary, led by Andrea's son -- chairman and executive president, Giuseppe Santoni -- the global luxury goods purveyor offers men's and women's shoes, bags, belts and more. The event coincides with a new flagship in Manhattan and partnership with luxury book publisher Assouline, 'Santoni Meraviglia' which tells the story of the family and their brand.
Giuseppe Santoni spoke to FashionNetwork.com at the store opening and celebratory star-studded dinner.
The new 4,500-square-foot, two story boutique at 667 Madison Avenue precedes a former New York store opened in 1997 and is located within a newly conceived commercial office tower, thus Santoni and his architect Patricia Urquiola had a blank space to work with. However, the ambitious design was a feat.
'It's a huge, beautiful space with very high, 27-foot ceilings. The construction process was very complicated due to this and because we installed a lighting system to mimic natural sunlight. You can see the real color of the shoe thanks to this lighting seat; typical indoor shop lighting discolors a product's appearance,' Santoni explained.
Indeed, the ceiling featured an iron I-beam construction in triangular sections with luminescent panels that gave the appearance of soft spring afternoon light while outside in New York it was dark and cloudy.
The design by Urquiola references the brand's first flagship in Milan which opened in 2012. Other design features include a pointed pyramid wave-effect wall covering and marble display tables and pedestals. The store sits in fine company with brands such as Brunello Cucinelli, Valentino, Jimmy Choo, and Tom Ford nearby.
'We wanted to create an ambience that is not a shop, but where we can tell the story of the Santoni lifestyle mood. It doesn't look like a store, but more like a private club or a lifestyle space where you see shoes and other leather goods collections mixed into architectural elements and design,' he continued.
Beyond the specific area of Madison Avenue, the country at large is important for Santoni.
'The United States is our biggest export country. We're doing very well even in this tricky market situation where business is quite volatile. Since the beginning of 2025, the company overall has nice 15 percent double digit growth,' Santoni added.
This is also in part to the growing success of its accessories category led by the Pluto bag which was introduced in 2023. According to Santoni the accessories component led by the bag's growth has increased existentially in the last six to 12 months.
'The Pluto bag is an unbelievable asset for Santoni and represents the brand from the design point of view. We are continuing to introduce new versions of the bag even for the next few years because we believe this is really the essence of the Santoni and important to the brand representation in the future,' he said.
New iterations include suede styles and new travel accessories made from recycled materials.
Beyond bags, the executive believes something other than possession for the sake of possessing drives the Santoni customer; it elicits an 'IYKYK' reaction.
'I'm positive because Santoni customers are loyal to our values and uniqueness of our hand crafted and hand painted offerings which are totally individual. They don't buy only a statement, but they buy something very specific, each pair of shoes is a piece of art; made by a single artisan their perfection lies in their imperfection. Our customer wants a different buying experience and to feel the emotion when you buy a specific product; you feel bold when you buy a pair of Santoni shoes,' he said.
After exploring the new store, select guests such as Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan joined the Santoni and the Assouline families and headed up Madison Avenue to the New York outpost of Caviar Kaspia at The Mark. While guests sipped vodka, enjoyed caviar and blinis and salmon in every form, Giuseppe Santoni and Assouline's president, Alexandre Assouline, welcomed guests.
Assouline, noting that they publish a lot of books, said Santoni felt special and offered a toast to Santoni's 50th anniversary and new Madison Avenue flagship, highlighting the shared family values and dedication to heritage and craftsmanship that define both Santoni and Assouline, illustrated in the new title "Santoni Meraviglia".
In speaking to FashionNetwork.com about the partnership and meaning of the book's title, the chairman noted the synergy of the book as a luxury product like Santoni.
'Assouline and Santoni met through common friends, and they appreciate and understand Santoni. I appreciate what they do with the kind of passion and attention that they have. Compared to other editors, they have the highest-level quality,' he explained, adding, ''Meraviglia' or 'wonder' is experiencing something, so you remember it. What we do is something that is always created for people; when you see our shoes, our production process, visiting our factory, showroom, and stores. You can feel the meraviglia," he said.
Demonstrated in the book is the family's unique approach to shoemaking in a region that boasts 70 percent of the country's shoe making facilities.
'Le Marche is a place where culturally shoes are created and our company has the sophistication, quality level and hard work that is unique. We are totally different from the others in the way we produce and how we do things,' he noted.
While the book may sum up the last 50 years, Santoni is looking to the future.
'We're very proactive and productive. The book and the story are cool, and we are very happy and proud of our 50th anniversary, but this is not an arrival point. This is just the beginning of the next 50. There is a bright future in front of us," concluded Santoni.