The connotation of Solazzo is that of an artisanal shoe factory, where all the work is done with the skill of the old masters, handed down from father to son, to make a quality product. The management is family: they are now in the second generation. And it is precisely passion that ensures continuity in a job that has always been difficult, but wonderful and full of satisfaction for those who, like Solazzo, make men’s shoes with fine leathers and materials.
Tina Solazzo, with her brothers Giuseppe and Alessandro, run a business that is almost entirely the product of the Italian market.
The roots of this company have the face of the parents and the entrepreneurial intelligence of dad Natalino. In the beginning, for a few years, they operated on behalf of large companies in the Vigevano area, dealing only with some shoe manufacturing. Then, around 1970, they decided to embark on the great adventure and thus dedicate themselves to the complete production of men’s shoes.
At first, the company focused on the classic moccasin.
A few years ago, in Vigevano, on Via Roma, Solazzo opened its first store. This was followed by others: in Novara, Alassio and, just recently, the outlet in Vigevano, shops in Desenzano del Garda, Vicolungo and in Milan. Then again, not only collaborate with so-called luxury brands, but they also have their own brand whose potential are trying to develop.
Later, Solazzo began to collaborate with various luxury brands, always with men’s shoes, proposing, year after year, a trendy fashion line, but never neglecting refinement, class, style, and taste.
In any case, those shoes gain acclaim in every part of the world precisely because they bear the unmistakable signs of craftsmanship. They contribute, in short, to making made in Italy appreciated everywhere.
Solazzo is not mass production. Each shoe is assembled differently, the leather is treated in a certain way, and most of the operations are still done manually.
Experience and skill are needed: what makes the difference is the extreme accuracy in the details. Important is the continuous training of the staff.
More than 50 thousand pairs of shoes come out of the Vigevano company every year; these are shoes characterized by absolute quality.
Solazzo family, intends to pursue some important goals: first of all, they wish to continue the fruitful cooperation with luxury brands; secondly, little by little, want to improve the image of their brand so as to attempt a further leap in quality; finally, within a short time, they will open more stores, and not only in the province
When we think of craftsmanship we certainly do so in reference to our culture. From 1970 to the present day, Solazzo has accumulated a wealth of experience that identifies the craftsmanship of each step in making the shoe, the attention to detail, and making absolute excellence of beauty out of a passion. Handcrafted production is absolute excellence in product quality, based on the philosophy of Made in Italy, and the skilled skills of Vigevanese artisans.
Let’s see together what distinguishes craftsmanship from industrial manufacturing. Few elements, but all are fundamental: the choice of materials, the type of workmanship, the attention to detail.
Few words, in which, however, matures all the difference that is ultimately found in the product, because good craftsmanship fully realizes the three basic parameters: comfort, elegance, and durability.
How can you recognize the quality of a shoe? There are five points that can help identify a high-profile handcrafted product.
MATERIALS
The choice of materials is the basis of making a quality product. For those with the necessary technical skills, it is useful to pay attention to the pictogram, which identifies the material used for the footwear.
However, it also remains essential to check the quality of the fabric or leather with one’s own hands.
Very important is also to check for defects in the material, which should be free of scratches or creases.
SEWING
While the materials must be excellent, the quality of what holds them together is no less important: the seams.
Footwear is subjected to more stress than any other garment. It must withstand the pressure of a human body, which subjects it to constant twisting day after day. The seam is the technical element that must withstand this continuous attack, and it must do so without fraying or ruining in any way.
This is why it is essential to check that seams are not swaying, and that threads are not overlapping or confusingly arranged. A seam should always be clean and straight, and visibly solid. In addition to the aesthetic value, it will also result in a sturdiness and solidity of the shoe that will make its life longer.
SIMMETRY
One of the elements that help to recognize a handcrafted shoe is the presence of small differences between one shoe and another, which help to identify the “human” origin of the workmanship.
However, this does not mean that the presence of conspicuous differences is a hallmark of quality. In fact, the artisan’s aspiration is to create two equal and mirror-image objects, and any differences that may result in the final product should be minimal and barely visible.
It is important to check that the size and shape of the heel are identical, as well as the color and texture of the leather or fabric. If all these requirements are met, we are most likely evaluating a true handcrafted product.
WEIGHT
Our footwear lives with us while we are moving or when we are standing still.
The weight of a shoe is felt by our foot in each of these moments, those during which the foot is detached from the ground and consequently the footwear makes its weight felt on our body.
A correct choice of materials, and of the elements added during the various stages of manufacture, should ensure that the shoe possesses the right degree of sturdiness without, however, becoming heavy.
To assess this detail it is important, whenever possible, to weigh the shoe with your hand, possibly comparing it with other footwear for sale or your own. Should the feeling be one of excessive heaviness, it is best to desist.
FINISHINGS
If all the points listed above have been met, we are in all likelihood already dealing with an excellent shoe. For the job to be perfect, however, the same care is needed in finishing operations.
Bottom finishing, for example, is crucial to the final appearance of the shoe. To carry it out properly, one must stain the bottom with aniline colors, and then carefully engage in brushing and polishing operations. Next comes the unmolding, leaving the wooden form inside the shoe for about ten days. Finally, with careful cleaning and polishing of the upper and bottom, the perfect shoe is obtained, reflecting in every detail the masterfulness of Made in Italy workmanship.
Solazzo Calzature people know these standards and apply them without exception, because it is important to make a unique object, perfect in its details, non-standard, with a design that is constantly evolving, and that puts the craftsman’s hand at the center: the hands that draw, cut, lay glue and natural dyes, resulting in a contemporary product, easy to wear but exquisitely handmade, capable of standing the test of time.
Because “Craftsmanship” also means responsibility to the customers who choose it.
PROCESSES.
Being able to rely on 50 years of craftsmanship experience, as well as the best materials and designers available, Solazzo is able to guarantee footwear made with the best workmanship, executed in the best way possible, so as to provide with a product that is not only beautiful to look at, but made to last.
THE “WELT” WORKING TECHNIQUE
Perfect footwear, extremely comfortable and elegant, made to last. For its manufacture SOLAZZO uses a long and delicate workmanship of English origin, a guarantee of exceptional quality: the Goodyear method. In Goodyear workmanship the welt, a strip of soft leather, is sewn to the lip of the leather insole increna, also fastening the upper and lining together. Then the sole is attached and stitched. A midsole filler is placed in the gap between the insole and sole. The final result, which is simply perfect, rewards the great skill and extreme precision required in this working technique.
THE ALLURE OF COMPLETELY HANDCRAFTED
Norwegian is one of the most complex construction techniques: it is a laborious, time-consuming workmanship done exclusively by hand. Its making begins after the upper has been skillfully shaped to the last. Two seams are needed to complete the work: the first seam ties the upper to the insole, the second ties the upper to the sole. The result is the braided profile that draws the edge of the shoe with a marked, bold stroke and offers a sturdy, solid shoe ready to brave the weather.
A WORKMANSHIP AS SNUG AS A GLOVE
This workmanship is the quintessence of softness and flexibility. It is made by expert hands with mastery of the craftsmanship technique, using light and supple leathers, which are indispensable for precisely completing this type of workmanship. Thanks to the stitching on the last this shoe wraps the foot in the most natural way, offering a comfortable fit and sturdiness for walking in full freedom. In tubular workmanship, the upper rises from the bottom to cover the hips, and is attached to the mirror by a dense series of folds with typical hand stitching. Inside the shoe, which by now has already taken shape, the insole is inserted, while the sole is applied and stitched last.
THE WORKMANSHIP FOR PERFECT ELEGANCE
In Blake workmanship, the assembly of the sole, insole, and upper is done in one step by stitching. To perform this operation, the shoe must be removed from the last. It is then reshaped to complete the next steps: heel application, milling, grinding, and dyeing. The result is an aesthetically perfect, solid and comfortable shoe.
THE HANDMADE STITCHING THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
This is professional stitching, done with high-quality machines, with original Strobel branding. This type of stitching is done by craftsmen with decades of experience, using the best threads on the market. A Strobel craftsman must possess important characteristics to consider himself as such, such as precision, expertise and professionalism. The upper is joined to a lightweight insole forming a pouch that is then joined to the sole. Strobel construction keeps weight down, which is very important for relaxation footwear, for example.
Sacchetto processing is the typical method of making shoes without seams and rigid structures. When we see a shoe we do not detect any kind of visibly “assembled” component and have the impression of seeing a single body, almost certainly that shoe will have been worked with the Sacchetto technique.
This type of process is a true exaltation of craftsmanship, inherited through years of experience in the trade and now the expertise of highly qualified personnel.
Sacchetto processing owes its name to the intermediate steps during which the lining is constructed, which, even before being joined to the upper, is literally sewn onto a model structure and worked just as if it were a bag.
Next, ironing, the stage that gives the shoe its actual shape, is carried out on a heated structure and worked by hand-beating through the skilled hands of an experienced craftsman. This phase is extremely important because in addition to giving solidity to the structure it will give the typical recognizable design for this type of accessory. This is the most delicate phase, because it is completely handcrafted and whose success depends only on the experience of the person applying this technique, effectively determining the success of the shoe in terms of design, precision and comfort.
At a later stage, the hard sole used in the previous stages (the mounting sole) is also removed, to ensure maximum comfort and softness. In parallel, padded material is inserted between the lining and sole for the purpose of improving the softness of the shoe when worn.
When the lining and footbed components are then joined by double stitching, the shoe is complete.
To test the actual quality of pouch making, just do a simple test: if a shoe, will be easily folded back on itself just by using the thumb and forefinger of one hand and without particular effort, then pouch making will have been done to perfection
