Heart and sole
With high heels and even higher standards, the fine Italian shoemakers at René Caovilla have been the best-kept secret of Hollywood stars for three generations
Audrey Hepburn was a longstanding client of René Caovilla, yet the familyrun Italian house has no record, not even a single photograph, of her wearing his shoes. It is a tale that gives us three vital clues to the brand’s ethos. Firstly, craftsmanship: the actress famously had size eightandahalf feet, but because Caovilla shoes are all made by hand, the design could simply be adjusted. Secondly, discretion: it is evidently not the Caovilla way to chase the limelight. Lastly, style: one of the 20th century’s legendary icons of elegance would have chosen only the most beautiful shoes…
René Caovilla is the shoemaker to the stars that you may not yet have heard of. But now, with luminaries from Jessica Chastain to Nicole Kidman stepping out in the brand’s signature iridescent stilettos and a flight of boutiques opening worldwide – including, most recently, on London’s Sloane Street – the secret is soon to be shared. Longterm devotees need not fear change: throughout the global expansion, all shoes will continue to be made in the Fiesso d’Artico workshop, 30 minutes from Venice. It is here that the founder, a local cobbler called Edoardo Caovilla, established a small atelier crafting court shoes in the early 1930s. In 1955, his son René took over the business, giving it his own name. It was René who was determined to expand the brand beyond its Venetian roots, spearheading collaborations with couture houses such as Valentino and Chanel, and masterminding the ‘Cleo’, a bejewelled sandal with a snakestyle anklestrap. Inspired by the bracelets worn by Ancient Romans, it has since been seen on Rihanna and exhibited in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. (And the moment in 2007 that the vitrine in Harrods displaying a René Caovilla serpentadorned sandal was guarded by a live cobra has made departmentstore history.)
René’s son, another Edoardo, worked in private equity before joining the family business 10 years ago. Edoardo, who has risen to become COO and creative director, calls his nowretired father a ‘footwear poet’, and speaks about him and the company’s history with deep respect. A moderniser in spirit, Edoardo’s aim is to take
the Caovilla story into a new chapter, while never straying too far from its heritage. For example, he has introduced a line of trainers (a brave move for a house synonymous with shimmering stilettos), but has added some Caovilla magic by embellishing them with precious stones. ‘Swarovski crystals are part of our DNA,’ he says. ‘I wanted to create something that would mean we can be with our customers from morning to night, from the gym to a party.’ The ‘Galaxia’, another of Edoardo’s creations, a combination of satin sandal and crystal mesh sock, has been a star piece too. ‘The design is a bit disruptive to our history – but I like to do that,’ he explains. His guiding principle is that whatever the style, the quality must remain the highest in the world.
Whether fresh designs or old favourites, all have the label’s signature sole, sprinkled with silver sparkle. For a woman’s advice on the comfort of his shoes, Edoardo, like his predecessors, consults his wife. As for inspiration, this comes to him in abundance when he is submerged in the Mediterranean: he is an ardent freediver. ‘I have to say I’m more fish than man,’ he says with a smile. ‘Designs appear in my imagination when I swim: from the waves, the shapes under the water, the way the ocean reflects light and colour.’ As a boy, he would spend hours peering over his father’s shoulder while he worked, and would run down to the workshop every day after school. ‘It was my favourite place to go,’ he remembers. ‘The scent of leather, the clinking machines, the sense of artistry…’
Like his father, Edoardo is enthusiastic about weaving together new technology with artisanal skills, which means that the workshop today houses lasercutting experts alongside an embroiderer who specialises in sewing pearls onto the finished product. Every craftsperson is trained inhouse, be it in lacemaking, hemming or structuring the shank. Even the simplest black leather pump requires 42 separate ‘body parts’, each sourced from a different supplier. ‘People always ask how long it takes to make a single shoe,’ Edoardo says. ‘But to me, the important question is actually, “How many generations do you need to make a pair of shoes of this quality?”’ The answer, evidently, is three.
All the designs
have the signature sole sprinkled with silver sparkle