Venice, Italy–Breathing new life into traditional Venetian slippers, Giulia Campeol created a unique collection of shoes that mixes tradition and Italian craftsmanship, with a dash of contemporary. An impressive accomplishment for the emerging designer who has already sold her shoes on the shelves of Barneys in New York , 10 Corso Como in Milan, Nia in Rome, Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles and Takashimaya in Japan. The designer, of Venetian blood with a Roman heart, is ready for the upcoming season with her wanderlust shoe line — AllaGiulia.
“The Friuliane slippers always existed,” Giulia Campeol explained to BACO. “They are the traditional shoes worn by the Venetian gondoliers. Very simple, they used to be made with offcuts of fabric, tire material for the sole and felt for the insole. Ever since I was a kid, I would buy them with my mother at Rialto bridge in Venice. I wore them all the time.”
Traveling as a fashion buyer, she noticed that these kind of ‘papusse’ flats garnered a lot of attention, even from the most expert eyes.
“I decided to rediscover and ennoble them by playing with fabrics and modeling, but keeping the rules of the base structure. So, my collection was born.”
Allagiulia has a simple yet researched style, polished yet bold.
“I play a lot with fabrics and trimmings, and I’m very glad to see my shoes being worn by both 15 year-old-girls and 80 year-old ladies. Every collection carries a new idea in the model, in the fabric, in the shoes upper or in the trimming. Usually, I use cottons or vintage fabrics, but I also use brocades from India and calf-hair.”
Allagiulia’s bestseller is for sure the one with the fringe trimming, a must have. The Friuliane slippers are a totally handmade, made-in-Italy product from a master.
RETAIL PRICE: 90-110 euro.
WHERE TO BUY: Niaroma.com, Borgo Egnazia, Puglia.
IN THIS ISSUE: Bevilacqua Velvet: A Bastion of Venetian Tradition, Giuliana Longo: The Gondolier’s Milliner , Chiarastella Cattana: Venetian Jacquards, Simone Cevedese: The Art of Murano Glass ; The Gondolier’s Slipper: Alla Giulia ; Tabarro: The Medieval Gentleman’s Cape
