Rupert Sanderson

Rupert Sanderson (born in 1966 in Penang, Malaysia) is a shoe designer.

Early life and education

Coincidentally from the same Malaysian island as Jimmy Choo, Rupert Sanderson lived the typically peripatetic life of an army child since his father was a British Army officer. After graduating from Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London University, he worked in advertising in London before enrolling on the shoe making course at the world-recognised Cordwainers College in East London, joining a long lineage of stellar shoemakers such as Jimmy Choo. During the summer holiday of the two-year course, he rode a motorbike to Italy to visit shoe factories, tanneries and last makers, meeting artisans and learning as much as possible about the trade. Rupert Sanderson then worked in Italy firstly for Sergio Rossi, and latterly Bruno Magli. Working with the founders and the families of both these companies before they were bought by luxury goods conglomerates has put Sanderson in good stead with the close-knit Italian shoe making community.

Career

Rupert Sanderson produced his first shoe collection in 2001. By way of reinforcing his design principles, in 2006 Rupert Sanderson bought a controlling interest in the shoe factory in the outskirts of Bologna, Italy, that he had been working with from his first collection. The art of traditional craftsmanship and attention to detail can be seen in every Rupert Sanderson shoe.

Rupert Sanderson’s design ethos is simply ‘less is more', focusing on perfecting the line, balance and symmetry of the shoe to flatter and lengthen the leg; rather than adding more and over-embellish, Sanderson likes to pair down the design and concentrates on the fit, length and shape of the last, and reportedly rendering even his five-inch heels relatively comfortable to wear.

Every pair of Rupert Sanderson is meticulously crafted by Italian hands in his own factory Facit Srl in Tredozio near Ravenna, embodying traditional Italian craftsmanship with a distinctive avant-garde design. His inspiration comes from the material itself; from the sensual curve and silhouettes of the lasts and heels, to the quality and finish of the finest leather and fabrics.

Complementing his obsessive passion for the Italian craft of shoe making is a bit of quintessential British flair: every pair of Rupert Sanderson shoes is named after an English daffodil.

Rupert Sanderson shoes have acquired an ever growing celebrity following including Gwyneth Paltrow (who famously wore Sanderson’s KitKat shoe boots to the Premiere of Two Lovers in Paris with an Antonio Beradi lace dress); Samantha Cameron; Kate Moss; Lily Allen; Sienna Miller; Rebecca Hall; Keira Knightley; Cheryl Cole; Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. More recently, Hollywood starlets Carey Mulligan, Freida Pinto, Rachel McAdams, super model Yasmin Le Bon and fashion blogger BryanBoy have all been spotted wearing his shoes, as well as Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress Sammi Cheng.

Achievements and awards

2008
2009
2010

Collaborations

Stores

Rupert Sanderson has two stores in London and recently opened in Hong Kong and Paris – The stores in London include one in Mayfair, and the other in Knightsbridge; the Hong Kong store is situated at the heart of Central on On Lan Street; and in Paris at the famous Palais-Royal. Rupert Sanderson shoes are also available in over 160 department and specialist stores in fashion capitals around the world.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.fashionfringe.co.uk/index1.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.britishfashioncouncil.com/
  3. ↑ http://www.britishfashionawards.com/content.aspx?CategoryID=253
  4. ↑ http://www.elleuk.com/styleawards09

External links