But her great passion is making her shoes. Yes, it can be said that they belong to him; because each pair of shoes is a story in itself.

Bespoke and Gianfranco’s sutorial art

Every time it’s like a repeating miracle. Like a mystery. And every time it is the same joy, the same satisfaction, when that strip of neutral leather chosen on the counter is transformed into an elegant, unique, perfect pair of shoes.
It takes about 40 hours for the transformation. It is a time made of dexterity, creativity, inventiveness, ingenuity. But also full of commitment to sustainability, at the service of the planet. “A sustainable project   “A sustainable project   and lifestyles that aim to imagine a better future for everyone”, underlines sottolinea Gianfranco Montano, the sutorial artist of Sant’Arcangelo town .

The joy that he also reads in the eyes of the customers, amazed at how his hands are capable of transforming that small piece of leather into art. And to think that Gianfranco came to the creation of the shoes almost by chance and thanks to another artist who believed in him and taught him the Angelo Imperatrice trade.

Angelo Imperatrice, resident in Florence, is an appreciated craftsman and works as a teacher at the Polimoda di Ferragamo and in the prestigious Riaci Academy, which teaches the various crafts. As a good Lucan, he often returns to Basilicata and so, in the summer of 2014, he met Gianfranco and invited him to Florence to learn the trade. So it was love at first sight. what was already inside came out. To him I owe everything I know, says Gianfranco, I can say that he really taught me a trade. Even today, even if I no longer need it, I often like to go to Florence to visit him and breathe the air of the Academy

BESPOKE –Unique pieces creation

It is not the shoe that expresses the true personality of a shoemaker, the style or the degree of refinement, it is rather the colors, the shades that hide behind the main color, the patina.
This is what reveals the tastes and shows the innate elegance of the artist.
From the choice of the model to the patina it is an invitation to the most complete customization. Bespoke, Gianfranco Montano has created this process that opens up the possibility of configuring your own shoe and making it like no other. Unique pieces

We start by choosing the model, in Italian leather, or another type chosen by the customer. It starts from a coat of white leather treated in a vegetal way, the tanning, which comes from Florence, on which the design already done on the cardboard is reported, sewing it: it is the upper. At this stage the shoe is completely white.

Then, we move on to color, or rather, to patina.
It is a complex craftsmanship, which takes several hours, which will never be identical from one pair to the next.
Behind the classic black or brown you can opt for a shade that gives on green, gray, burgundy.
Or have a pair of shoes made to match another accessory.
To top it all off, you can opt for a special polishing (a mixture of wax and water) which makes the surface more shiny and protects the leather over time.
In this phase of the realization, about 40 hours of work are needed to complete what for Gianfranco is a real work of art. “

Bespoke has been  chosen by many and will choose them more in the future

Like when he was contacted by director Francis Ford Coppola.
Yes, exactly him, the famous artist of Lucanian origins, author of masterpieces such as “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now”  The “Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now”, during one of his staying in Bernalda had a decisive meeting with the Lucanian shoemaker who, with determination, inspiration and mastery, created “a couple “of his masterpieces.

It can be said that for a young Lucanian it was a great satisfaction and also an honor to “make shoes” for an internationally renowned director such as Francis Ford Coppola.

But he wasn’t the only one. Many other artists or famous people choose BESPOKE made-to-measure shoes of Gianfranco Montano ; as Rocco Papaleo Lucano himself and many others … ..