Gravati
Encyclopedia
Gravati is a family-owned company founded in 1909 that manufactures men's and women's dress shoes in Vigevano
, Italy
. Although Gravati uses a variety of shoe construction methods, including Bologna and Goodyear construction, the majority of their production uses Blake construction. The shoes are hand-crafted entirely within the factory by skilled artisans and technicians. Every pattern of every Gravati shoe is hand-cut. Unlike most modern shoe manufacturers, Gravati does not maintain stock—retailers must specify the patterns, lasts, leathers, soles, and construction methods that they want; and only then will the factory make the shoes. Their production methods are typical of many upper-echelon shoemakers in that the uppers are cut (or clicked) and lasted and the shoes finished by hand, but that all sewing is done by machine.
Gravati's American retailers include Stanley Korshak, Wilkes Bashford
, and Norton Ditto.
Vigevano
Vigevano is a town and comune in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, northern Italy, which possesses many artistic treasures and runs a huge industrial business. It is at the center of a district called Lomellina, a great rice-growing agricultural centre...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Although Gravati uses a variety of shoe construction methods, including Bologna and Goodyear construction, the majority of their production uses Blake construction. The shoes are hand-crafted entirely within the factory by skilled artisans and technicians. Every pattern of every Gravati shoe is hand-cut. Unlike most modern shoe manufacturers, Gravati does not maintain stock—retailers must specify the patterns, lasts, leathers, soles, and construction methods that they want; and only then will the factory make the shoes. Their production methods are typical of many upper-echelon shoemakers in that the uppers are cut (or clicked) and lasted and the shoes finished by hand, but that all sewing is done by machine.
Gravati's American retailers include Stanley Korshak, Wilkes Bashford
Wilkes Bashford
Wilkes Bashford is an upscale store for women and men in the Union Square Shopping District in San Francisco, California.It was established in 1966 by Wilkes Bashford and has long catered to the elite, including former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown....
, and Norton Ditto.