A shoe is not a shoe if it doesn’t fit properly, says designer Maurizio Mazzucato. He should know. Coming from a generation of shoemakers, Mazzucato has spent his life creating the perfect footwear. Now, as the design director for made-to-measure shoe brand The Left Shoe, which has a branch in Dubai, that edict is even more indispensable in a market inundated by brands, he says.
“Most people are too focused on the looks and they forget the fit,” he says.
“I started by making shoes by hand. I started in the factory. Today the new generation of designers are just in a hurry to make shoes. They don’t even go into factories, they don’t know the whole process of how the perfect shoe is created. That’s a big problem.”
These days though, Mazzucato has a bit of help in the form of technology. Each branch of The Left Shoe — they’re in London, Los Angeles and Helsinki — is fitted with a 3D scanning machine, which records precise dimensions of your feet.
Scanning done, the customer then chooses a design from the brand’s catalogue, picks colours, materials and personalisation options and makes an order. The shoes are then delivered to the customer, anywhere in the world. The next time you want another pair in another design, just quote your details and a pair will be delivered to you in the same measurement wherever you are. No need to go to the store ever again.
It’s this technological edge, along with knowledge of craftsmanship in the form of designer Mazzucato , is what sets The Left Shoe apart, says chief executive Erkan Fere.
“Most men don’t have the time or like to go shopping. What we do is we want the consumer to be a bit of a designer. And the technology we have here is great because you only have to come to the store once to take your measurements and everything else you can do online,” he says.
“When you buy a ready-to-wear shoe, you make a compromise because it’s not made for you. It’s made for somebody who fits into a certain standard size. And our research has shown that 95 per cent of people have different sizes between their left and right foot. Having precise measurements means comfortable shoes and that’s not just for the look and style, but also health.”
More and more people are looking for exclusivity, says designer Mazzucato.
“Times are changing. There are so many brands now that people want something that’s special, something that’s made specifically for them,” he says, adding that his customers are more than happy to wait for the six-weeks as long as they’re getting the perfect pair of shoes.
“You just have to be a bit patient for the right pair.”
Located in the heart of DIFC, Fere says his customer base is getting younger and younger.
“The average age of our customer is 45 but someone who has the mental age of 35 or 30. But we see more and more people in their 20s enter our shop,” he says.
“Whether it’s cars of home interiors, it’s all about personalisation these days. And shoes are easy because the size of your feet doesn’t change. Your body shape can change over the years but with shoes, you take one measurement and that’s it.”
Every respectable gentleman should have at least five to seven pairs of shoes for different occasions, he says.
“What a true gentleman really needs is a good pair if shoes. You can be cheap on many things but not on shoes.”
For more on The Left Shoe Company, go to leftshoecompany.com.
