‘

Born in 1957 and raised just a few miles from Rimini, Italy — a town famous for its impeccable shoe manufacturing, Giuseppe Zanotti created his first collection with 15 employees, including a jeweler and an embroiderer.

Today, more than 350 people work on his collections. Modernizing traditional silhouettes, Zanotti produces more than 400,000 pairs of shoes annually.

As a young designer, he freelanced at the fashion houses of Valentino Garavani, Christian Dior, Roberto Cavalli and Gianfranco Ferré.

Zanotti opened his first boutique in Milan, in 2000. Since then, stores in New York, Dubai and Paris have opened, totaling 50 stores globally. Footwear News, a publication by WWD, awarded Zanotti Designer of the Year in late 2000.

Ranging in prices from $500 to $3,000 a pair, Giuseppe Zanotti footwear is esteemed as luxuriously crafted shoes. Crystals, pony-hair and metal embellishments appear on sandals, booties and pumps as staples of the brand. Zanotti continues to manufacture styles that are casual yet sensual with a wide array of heel structures.

Zanotti has collaborated with Chopard, model Anja Rubik and rapper Kanye West and has designed for Vera Wang, Thakoon and Balmain. In 2010, he won the “Prix d’Excellence de la Mode” from Marie Claire International for Best Footwear Collection.

The first men’s collection was presented at the Pitti Uomo menswear trade show in June 2012, solidifying the designer’s influence in footwear design. Giuseppe Zanotti Design has since branched out to include handbags and accessories.