La Scarpetta di Venere is a brand of handmade shoes for women and men, but first of all it is a family that has never stopped believing in a dream.
It could be the classic story of the Marche region: a family business that produces shoes, the golden period that makes business take off, the crisis that then breaks their dreams and makes everything more difficult. But my brother Gianluca and I have chosen to make things differently by not giving up on the factory in which we grew up and in whose walls we saw our parents invest their money and soul.
I am Alice, now mother of two, with a degree in Economics and Commerce. At the beginning, I thought to settle in Bologna, the city where I graduated. But then the call of my land became stronger and the idea of taking advantage of my management skills, combined with my creativity, helped me made-up my mind.
Gianluca and I’ve decided to face the odds and create our own story. The first shoe was born with my degree thesis and from there, step by step -or better say “shoe by shoe”- our idea has been taking shape.
Gianluca creates the pieces that I design and holds the artisan knowledge in his hands and in his head. The shoes, for men and women, are all entirely handmade, following the traditional manufacturing process. All of this made with an infinite passion.
Our ambition was and remains the same: to take back our artisan tradition and make shoes that are capable of reflecting a new way of understanding femininity. Because every woman is searching for a way to express herself to the world by being authentic, multifaceted, imperfect and for this very reason unique, a bit like an artisan product.
“La Scarpetta di Venere” comes from my natural propensity to create and from the great possibility that my parents gave me. I was very lucky, because they’ve always made shoes, so I had all the knowledge and equipment at home to start making my own.
The “La Scarpetta di Venere” brand was born in 2009 and takes its name from an orchid, the Cypripedium calceolus. The name of the genus comes from the Greek 'Kýpris' (Aphrodite, the goddess of Cyprus) and 'pédilon' (sandalwood), hence the Italian names, due to the shape of the lip, similar to a slipper. It is endemic to the central Apennines, very rare to find especially in Italy. This rarity inspired us, what we wanted to create was a shoe as beautiful as a flower but rare, almost unique.
We are certainly not an ordinary company, we love to create a story around each shoe and share the idea that goes from our head to our hands, up to your feet.
You will find our brand only in “La Scarpetta di Venere” stores and website, because I have chosen to manage the production and distribution process entirely, to ensure maximum quality at an affordable price.
