THE MANIFESTO
THE SOUL
& THE MASTER
The soul is the brand. The master is the one who draws it. This page tells the story of that meeting, and why we chose an Italian hand.
THE ENCOUNTER
THE BEGINNING
OF THE STORY
Padua, 23 July 2024
On 23 July 2024 a delegation from our company walks into a design studio near Padua. Andrea Nicoletto is not there that day: his team receives us. But his way of working is on the tables — hand sketches, lasts, material samples: work in progress, not a presentation prepared for us. We leave knowing how a shoe is born in Italy.
We meet him in person a year and a half later, in Düsseldorf, with the first shoes in our hands. Then in Guangzhou, in May 2026, we ask him to take care of the brand’s image: “a shoe design story, for your design”.
From here, we let him tell it.
THE METHOD
FROM BRIEF TO PROPOSAL
Every project follows three stages, always the same. It is why a proposal arrives already thought through for production.
INPUT
The brief and the company
Before drawing, we study who we are asked to interpret: the history of the brand, the market it sells in, what the brief asks and what it leaves unsaid. From there come the trend research and the mood board, which fix the direction before the first line is drawn.
SYNTHESIS
Lines and feasibility
This is where direction becomes shape. We draw several proposals, we choose materials, fabrics and colours, we define upper and outsole. Every line is judged also by those who will have to make it: a beautiful shoe the factory cannot produce is not a project, it is a drawing.
OUTPUT
The proposal, 1:1
We deliver vector technical drawings, renderings and, when needed, 3D models and maquettes — all at real scale, ready for production. The work does not end with delivery: we follow the samples and stay beside the factory until the shoe is the one we drew.
THE HAND
FROM SKETCH TO SHOE
Four steps, always the same, from the first line to a shoe you can hold. It is the path we followed for Elkland too: no shortcuts, and every step checked with the people who will have to make it.
HAND SKETCH — the idea as it emerges
REFINED DRAWING — after talking with the client
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT — the shoe at 1:1 scale
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS — what the factory needs to know
THE MANIFESTO
THE SOUL
& THE MASTER
The soul is the brand. The master is the one who draws it. This page tells the story of that meeting, and why we chose an Italian hand.
THE ENCOUNTER
THE BEGINNING
OF THE STORY
Padua, 23 July 2024
On 23 July 2024 a delegation from our company walks into a design studio near Padua. Andrea Nicoletto is not there that day: his team receives us. But his way of working is on the tables — hand sketches, lasts, material samples: work in progress, not a presentation prepared for us. We leave knowing how a shoe is born in Italy.
We meet him in person a year and a half later, in Düsseldorf, with the first shoes in our hands. Then in Guangzhou, in May 2026, we ask him to take care of the brand’s image: “a shoe design story, for your design”.
From here, we let him tell it.
THE METHOD
FROM BRIEF TO PROPOSAL
Every project follows three stages, always the same. It is why a proposal arrives already thought through for production.
INPUT
The brief and the company
Before drawing, we study who we are asked to interpret: the history of the brand, the market it sells in, what the brief asks and what it leaves unsaid. From there come the trend research and the mood board, which fix the direction before the first line is drawn.
SYNTHESIS
Lines and feasibility
This is where direction becomes shape. We draw several proposals, we choose materials, fabrics and colours, we define upper and outsole. Every line is judged also by those who will have to make it: a beautiful shoe the factory cannot produce is not a project, it is a drawing.
OUTPUT
The proposal, 1:1
We deliver vector technical drawings, renderings and, when needed, 3D models and maquettes — all at real scale, ready for production. The work does not end with delivery: we follow the samples and stay beside the factory until the shoe is the one we drew.
THE HAND
FROM SKETCH TO SHOE
Four steps, always the same, from the first line to a shoe you can hold. It is the path we followed for Elkland too: no shortcuts, and every step checked with the people who will have to make it.
-
HAND SKETCH — the idea as it emerges
-
REFINED DRAWING — after talking with the client
-
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT — the shoe at 1:1 scale
-
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS — what the factory needs to know
THE INVITATION
An Italian footwear design studio: outsoles, uppers and lasts, for outdoor, sport and safety. We design shoes that sell.
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