SOUL TO SOLE
Co-founder and creative director of Italian luxury footwear label Aquazzura, Edgardo Osorio, invites BAZAAR into his beautiful residence at Palazzo Corsini, Florence. By Emmilyn Yeoh.
Edgardo Osorio is ahead of the curve and a man of impeccable taste. Case in point: a curious search on Google leads to Edgardo30Birthday.com, a full-on website dedicated to the Colombian-born footwear designer’s 30th birthday do last year, complete with an official hashtag (#Edgardo30), teaser video, as well as contacts for milliners, make-up artists, costume designers, and even medical emergency services. Talk about throwing the party of the century. On the last weekend of May 2016, Aquazzura’s headquarters in the elegant and monumental 16th-century Palazzo Corsini, which overlooks the beautiful Arno River in Florence, Italy, was transformed into a lavish, over-the-top affair. “The first night was an eccentric jungle-themed bash and the second was a Surrealist ball, both complete with theatrical headgears and life-size taxidermic animals,” Osorio says, reminiscing the grandiose dinner fit for royalty. “What touched me, and surprised me the most, was the incredible creativity and research that my guests had put in when creating their costumes. They wore McQueen-inspired butterfly headdresses, mermaid costumes, tribal beads, and over-the-top tropical feathers on their heads.” After that night, Osorio brought this night straight to the drawing board, and thus, the Aquazurra Spring/ Summer ’17 collection, filled with embellished statement shoes, was born.
Besides throwing the bash of a lifetime, people are also what gets this madcap genius excited. Osorio’s ultimate fashion icon is a woman who feels sexy in her own skin—possibly with a little help from his jewelled sandals, sky-high stilettos, or lace-up flats. “The women who wear Aquazzura’s shoes are who I see as my muse; I want them to feel empowered and beautiful when they wear my designs. All women are different from each other, and unique in their own way,” Osorio explains. “My muses are not mythical creatures but real-life women living everyday life, travelling the world, ruling the world, and looking fabulous in Aquazzura in whatever they do.”
Surrounded by women and friends of all ages with different lifestyles, it’s easy to see why Osorio gravitates towards partnerships that reflect his creativity, allowing the brand to remain exciting and relevant. His exclusive collaborations with style stars Olivia Palermo and Poppy Delevingne reflect their sense of style, inspired by their love for fashion. “For me, it is very interesting to fully understand a woman’s point of view,” he says. “It brings to the table new ideas and projects a new energy. We try things we wouldn’t have done otherwise.”
Osorio’s open-mindedness prompted him to procure the coveted space of Palazzo Corsini, which he has since transformed into a full-time atelier, flagship boutique, design hub, and gem of a private residence. This chance encounter comes with an extraordinary story, which Osorio loves to fondly recount over and over again. “I remember the day when I was walking across the Arno River and stopped by Palazzo Corsini. I was a student then, and I admired the magnificence of it so much that years later after founding Aquazzura, I thought the only place I could possibly hold an event would be there.” Tenacity is one of Osorio’s best traits, and this man who went against all odds of launching his own footwear label at a tender age of 25 has never let the impossible get to him. “Then, one day, I met Contessa Livia Branca di Romanico [current owner of Palazzo Corsini], and I managed to convince her to let us throw a party. A friendship was birthed after. When I was looking for a new place to live, I called the Contessa and she offered the jewel of the palace, which is where I currently live!” Osorio continues.
His luck continued when the brand was searching to expand into a new permanent headquarters, and the Contessa handed over an old section of the palace on a silver platter, and the rest, as we say, is history. “When you create beautiful things, you need to be surrounded by an equally stunning environment. During restoration, we discovered amazing mid17th-century frescoes in the ceiling. We decided to retain their exuberance,
mixing the historical elements of the palace with modern and practical furniture to reflect our aesthetic. I worked arm-in-arm with Portuguese design firm Casa do Passadiço, who helped me enhance and let the old baroque elements shine,” he says.
At this point, it has become evident that Osorio is passionate about perfecting the art of living and has a gift for interior design. The eclectic mix of contemporary and classic has taken Osorio years of antique market hunting from all corners of the world. “I like spaces with personality, and I enjoy combining colours, textures, and elements from different eras. When I am away from Florence, I like to visit antique markets, art and design festivals, and auctions for special one-of-a-kind pieces,” he insists. His favourites are the beautiful antique mirror with a portrait of German princess Leopoldine von Schleswig-Holstein, which sits above his head in the study, as well as the pineapple lamp that reminds him of a piece of his childhood in Colombia. Thrilled to bring this passion beyond his home, Osorio recently worked with interiors brand De Gournay on a special artisanal project, which sold out in 24 hours on MatchesFashion.com a couple months ago. “I’m obsessed with wallpapers and I’ve always admired De Gournay’s hand-painted techniques. For this collaboration, it’s an exotic and decadent dream of a tropical Amazonian jungle filled with animals and plants. The pink backdrop gives a softness and intricacy to the verdant palms and swinging monkeys.”
To complete the visually inspiring experience within these walls of his home, Osorio has indulged in art pieces that have the ability to immediately capture your attention as you enter the room. Lola Montes Schnabel’s Traveling Around the World, 2014, is seen in the blue room, complemented by printed sofas from Gallotti&Radice. When Osorio is not busy running his empire, this is where he can be found, surrounded by books, art, and music. Immersing himself in his love for biographies, Osorio’s latest pick is The Fall Of Heaven, which traces the footsteps of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, shah of Iran from 1941 until his downfall in 1979. “I find history very mesmerising and the author, Andrew Scott Cooper, delves into great detail on how this incident has affected the state of the Middle East,” he says.
If there is one thing Osorio is great at doing, it’s his unwavering vision of delivering eternal allure through his work in fashion. He credits this to the people that he meets, the short breaks that he takes, the books that he reads, and the places he visits that make up his deep well of knowledge. Born in Cartagena, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and raised between Miami and London, Osorio insists that Aquazzura is just as diversed, born and bred in a mix of cultures and flavours—Italian in style, with a Latin flair and American ease. As for a piece of advice on curbing that indecisiveness when it comes to shoe shopping, Osorio insists that, “If and when the shoes fit, buy them in every colour!”