Custom Made Italian Footwear

Our in-house custom shoe service, Bontoni Made-To-Order (MTO), offers a middle ground between ready-made and bespoke options. With our MTO program, you can customize one of our existing styles to meet your specific preferences. Unlike full bespoke, which involves creating a personal last, MTO utilizes one of our existing lasts as a foundation, incorporating additional modifications. MTO is completed in less time compared to bespoke.

Our specialists will assist you through every step of the personalization process. This involves selecting various styles, materials, colors, soles, and constructions. Fittings consider your unique size and width needs.

The artisans who craft each pair of Bontonis aren't solely focused on shoes. They hail from generations of Italian craftsmen and artists who created everything from garments to violins. Bruno, our most recent maker, went beyond just shoes; he also handcrafted intricate violins in our bottega. This is the Italian bottega as it has been for centuries—a haven for creative and passionate artisans. This tradition of artistry is reflected in every one of the hundreds of unique steps involved in crafting each pair of Bontoni shoes.

A Bontoni calzolaio, or shoemaker, requires years to master the various stages that bring a Bontoni shoe to fruition; from precisely cutting the leather to hand sewing the seams and attaching the welt. Initially, before the shoe-making process can commence, the leather is carefully cut into patterns to form a specific model. These pieces are sewn together and reinforced with a lining and stiffeners to form the upper. To ensure the upper takes on the refined shape of the last, the calzolaio meticulously pulls every centimeter of the upper over the last using pliers. The upper is then secured in place along the perimeter of the insole with nails.

Between nailing, the calzolaio uses a warm hammer head to compress the leather fibers of the upper, ensuring a perfect contour. Then, he pierces the upper, welt, and insole with an awl. Two hand-twisted wax threads are inserted into each hole from opposite sides. The threads are then forcefully pulled to form a lock stitch. Once the welt, upper, and insole rib have been secured with one stitch, the welt and the outsole are attached with another stitch.

HAND PAINTED PATINAS

Bontoni colorists are celebrated for their hand-colored patinas and distinctive polishing methods. A hand-colored patina bestows the shoe with unparalleled grandeur and uniqueness. Bontoni is among the few shoemakers that color their leathers entirely by hand. Over the years, Bontoni’s master colorists have created an impressive array of colors, including black cherry, tobacco, red chocolate, yellow chestnut, olive, and rhubarb. Achieving the desired effect can take up to 4 days. Some of our signature patinas are crafted from up to 15 different oils, natural pigments, creams, and waxes, with many formulas passed down through generations. Nonetheless, our master colorists still add their own fresh twist.

Around 20 years ago, some local specialty tanneries started providing small amounts of non-dyed leathers. Since that time, our shoemakers have been applying color to shoes using a "blank canvas" method. Similar to artists, each of our master colorists treats non-dyed crust leather as their canvas.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE...

Due to the highly refined and limited production process, crafting your custom footwear by hand requires some time. However, as they say, good things take time, right? Once we submit your order, it will take a few months for delivery. You might wonder if it really takes months to make a pair of shoes. Not exactly, but there is a queue you will be joining. Trust us, once you experience custom-made footwear, you won't look back...