Fratelli Rossetti – S/S 2011 by George Esquivel
Esquivel is a legend in his time: a sort of present-day, living Salvatore Ferragamo. His métier is shoes, shoes which he obsesses over and crafts painstakingly working from his Southern California atelier. He is the embodiment of the artisan, the cerebral creator awash in a thoroughly impersonal industry. His product is special precisely because of the individualised focus and attention to detail evident in every shoe that bears his name.
Fratelli Rossetti is one of the world’s most important shoemakers, and one those quintessentially Italian brands, like Zegna or Brioni, which somehow manage to brandish patriotic pins on its pinstriped lapels regardless of how relentless its global outlook. The company is known for high-quality and polished sensible shoes, and its rather staid Italianate style. In a thoroughly modern gesture, however, the buttoned-up giant and the decidedly non-Italian artisan have teamed up for a very fruitful collaboration. We’ve caught up with George Esquivel to learn about co-creativity alongside an Italian stalwart, the resulting collection and his take on creativity. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the interview.
