The conversation around footwear innovation isn’t only reserved for the athletic market, especially if you ask Santoni.
According to the family-run Italian footwear maker, the company has launched its lightest dress shoe to-date via its new “Easy” collection. Weighing in at a mere 295 grams, or 0.65 pounds, Santoni’s new range features some of the lightest dress shoes on the market.
The launch comes as the company doubles down on innovation and the desire to create something new for its customers. “We wanted to combine two aspects that are often perceived as opposites: durability and lightness,” Giuseppe Santoni, who stepped back as CEO and took on the role of chairman and executive president of Santoni last year, told FN in an interview. “Our aim was to create an ‘easy’ style that blends comfort and timeless elegance, suited to both work and leisure occasions.”
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Mr. Santoni added that innovation is a “very important key point” for the company. “For this reason, we’ll continue to innovate the way we create shoes thanks to the know-how of our artisans,” he said. “The ‘Easy’ category is a new way of thinking about dress shoes and will certainly be expanded in future collections with new color variants.”
In total, the new Easy collection features five models across a classic Oxford lace-up, a double buckle, a loafer, a Chelsea boot and a desert boot – all made of calfskin and shaded suede.
The shoes feature a seamless construction and a thin sole illuminated by the signature Arancio Santoni and the Doubling graphic, an elaborate interpretation of the brand’s iconic Double Buckle logo. The sole also introduces a new grip pattern developed to offer greater durability and slip resistance.
As for the lining, it’s made of soft perforated goatskin leather, which offers comfort and helps to maintain flexibility, softness and lightness. Plus, the memory insole is made from a special foam that blends stable elements such as leather with softer and more elastic ones, including a natural component of Aloe Vera, to allow durability and comfort properties in a formal shoe.
Other features of the shoes include an elastic system concealed in the upper, which offers an ease of fit, as if allowing them to be worn without fastening or unfastening laces.
For now, Santoni’s latest “Easy” innovation is only reserved for the new men’s collection launching for fall/winter 2024. But, consumers could expect to see it featured across the company in future seasons.
“Elegance and lightness have always been key features of Santoni products, therefore we want to implement this in the women’s collections with a product that reflects the same characteristics seen in Easy,” Santoni added. “More news will definitely come in the next collections.”
This launch comes just months after Santoni revealed plans to expand categories and add new stores in 2024.
