In a small workshop in Florence, Saskia Wittmer crafts leather shoes that are as unique as each customer.
Saskia Wittmer has lived in Italy for 14 years after training with a veteran of John Lobb’s London workshop. “The shape is a little Italian maybe, the techniques English and there’s something about the functional sole that’s German,” she says. Having spent time in Bemer’s studio, she went solo in 2000. The German shoemaker Vivian Saskia Wittmer caters mostly to men in her ground-floor atelier (where she draws the draperies for those who’d rather not display their feet), crafting shoes with such precision that it can take six months to make a pair.
This film was made as part of Bloomberg’s “Made” digital series. MADE is a series of short films that focus on craftspeople and their premium wares, all made the hard way. This made-for-social video series was designed for the Bloomberg luxury section, Pursuits, to target readers who not only appreciate fine goods, but are also interested in the stories behind how they are made.