THE ART OF HANDMADE PATINA

Patina is the result of many techniques for colouring and bleaching leather, through the application of solvents, essential oils, pigments and dyes.  In the 1980s, Olga Berluti perfected the carefully crafted process believing, nothing was more beautiful than a shoe that had already been worn. A shoe burnished by time, whose colour was partly worn away.

At the time, most men’s shoes were black or brown; Olga developed an extraordinary new palette of colours. The shoes became unique, and so resembled the man who wore them.

 

SELECT LEATHERS

Producing exquisite patinas that gleam like lacquer requires a suitable base. A special tanned leather so supple and fine that it permits all kinds of creative audacity. The shoes are cut from the noblest sections of the leather, eliminating all defects.  It is a full-grain, uncoated leather made from select skins of exceptional quality.

 

The artist applies the dyes manually to the uncut hide and the fully assembled shoe, with the usage of white cloths, brushes and sometimes sponges, to create a unique look on each and every pair of shoes. With attentive care and superior savoir-faire, a dedicated craftsman perfects the personality of each pair of shoes, helping forge their special “soul”.

 

SKILLED ARTISANS

The Patina art craft is still considered to be very young. There are many patina techniques still to be discovered. Very few artists lead this new art, and we are proud to work with the some of the best patina artist in Spain.

Discovering new coloring techniques and using secret recipes and materials makes the patina artist job a very skilled and unique one. A good patina artist is able to reproduce a color precisely on demand, and uses it effectively on shoes as also on belts, bags or any other luxury leather goods.

 

The patina artist initially tries to impart a look on the shoes that make them appear older an aged. Colors are faded to create a nice old world charm to the shoe, which is attractive to the eye and comfortable to the fit. What can be more seducing than leading an old world charm to a modern day marvel?!

 

The new shoes bought and manufactured in a modern day set up are jaded and impersonal. This art craft and the colorist’s work on it cater to personalization of the product. These art pieces formed will probably be looked upon as collection pieces 40 years down the road!

The materials used in the process are of utmost importance and quality. The leather, polishes, creams and other materials make all the difference in this.  For a true connoisseur, its very important to know which the best product is.

Our patina artist uses basic colors and recreates the magic by mixing different colors as per the customer’s demands. Also, he is aware and knowledgeable when it comes to the leathers reaction to various materials in the process. Only a truly fine patina artist has mastered the art of raising the end product to the level of a Patina.

 

CUSTOMIZED / CUSTOM MADE

Several different handmade patina finishings are available to order through your customization platform. Among them are Regular, Marble and Papiro. The image below shows an example of Regular, Marble and Papiro patina finishings and how they look.

 

REGULAR

MARBLE

PAPIRO

Additionally we have the Patina Intensity Selector feature on our CUSTOMIZATION 3D Configurator Tool. You can choose the “intensity” of the patina, that is, the amount of shadow or aging effect applied.

Two intensity levels are available: LIGHT and HEAVY.

LIGHT PATINA

 HEAVY PATINA