If you walk past Philippe Zorzetto,
eponymous shoe designer situated in the Marais, you might think you
are seeing double. Like Goldilocks finding scaled down versions of
porridge bowls and beds, the boutique displays a collection of shoes on
one side, and an identical one, but slightly smaller, on the other.
Philippe Zorzetto is a unisex shoe designer, and allows androgynous
Papa Bear and Mama Bear to be on an equal footing (the collection has
yet to expand to Baby Bear).
Of course, unisex is nothing new, crossovers between genders have been
a recurring factor in fashion since Gaultier: today, collections by
Slimane, Jil Sander, and even more so Rad by Rad Hourani prove that we
can all live in a blissful couture world, free of gendered constraints.
In the case of Zorzetto, unisex means a balance between the quality of
classical male shoes, and a younger, slightly effeminate touch. All
models are sized from 36 to 45 (3.5 to 10.5); the styles are a mix of
30s men’s dress shoes, and 60s-inspired slipper-like quality: some of
the highlights include Pierre Cardin inspired ankle boots in a range of
different colours, light suede Derby shoes à la Serge Gainsbourg, and
summery loafers.
Better yet, only three copies per size are made for each design. “In
the past, people used to buy a pair of shoes and wear it for years.
Today, footwear –especially women’s– isn’t given the same rigour,”
comments Zorzetto, “To be honest, I don’t care about selling millions
of pairs. I’m just looking to bring back retro standards to modern
shoes.” Because so few pairs are produced, all the shoes are hand-made
in a small atelier in Spain, with leather bought in France or Italy.
The technique used is called ‘Blake stitching’, which is popular
amongst Italian footwear designers. This classical method is a way of
sewing the leather directly onto the sole, and allows a light,
resistant shoe.
Zorzetto comes into the shop almost every day, and takes time to chat
and advise customers. “It is important for me to develop a relation
with people who come into the boutique and who wear my designs,” he
insists. His anti-commercial approach is a reflection of his
upbringing: the designer grew up in a family of craftsmen, mainly
cabinetmakers, in the south of France. From a young age he was
familiarized with various artisanal techniques; yet, as he reached his
early adult years, he showed little interest in the family trade.
Instead, he ran off to Paris, and studied and started working in
advertising.
A few years later, he found himself utterly bored – little did he know
that he was soon to return to the familial tradition that he had so
eagerly left. To distract himself from the world of advertising, he
started to draw, as a hobby, shoe designs based on a set of found
drawings that his grandfather had executed in the 30s.
His friends were wild about Zorzetto’s sketches, and pushed him to give
his new passion a try. “Fuck it" he thought, and he bravely decided to
leave his job and launch himself into the heart of the action. It took
him a year to organize the various aspects of production, from locating
the best leather to finding an adequate space for the shop; in May
2008, he was ready and the boutique opened. It rapidly became a
popular choice amongst the Marais’ fashion connoisseurs, and more and
more of Paris’ elegant youth started fighting for the few pairs
available.
“There is a real philosophy to producing unisex products, which in my
case is reflected in the use of 30s designs and quality, suitable both
for men and women, as a way of reinterpreting current design: it’s a
retro touch to current shapes, but also a way of modernising my
grandfather’s designs. Androgyny becomes a subtle way of cheating codes
between men and women, and blurring decades” the designer explains.
It seems recession has done his enterprise good: “I know there is a
crisis on, and it seems like a crazy time to launch anything, but to be
honest, the shop is doing just fine. Maybe it’s an effect of recession,
people are re-thinking their spending and investing in a few good items
rather than piles of junk.”, he adds “I’m a craftsman, not a business
man.”
Philippe Zorzetto, 106 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris
