ALBERTO GUARDIANI WALLPAPER* LIMITED EDITION CAPSULE COLLECTION:

To celebrate thirty years of success, ALBERTO GUARDIANI has created an exclusive capsule collection of Italian men’s shoes in co-operation with Wallpaper* the pre-eminent design, fashion and lifestyle magazine. The collection of lace-up shoes and slip-on loafers expertly balances classic design, technical know-how and graphical creativity.

The result: British tailor-made, hand-stitched details are carefully balanced with technical canvas with such characteristics as water-proofing and stain-proofing for an elegant design with an elements-resistant finish. The capsule collection’s logo and packaging is also carefully curated for a modern design that expertly embodies the identity of each of the 5 creative components. This ambitious project, conducted under the joint supervision of Alberto Guardiani and Wallpaper* Fashion Director Sébastien Clivaz, embodies the union of the Italian company’s great experience and the international lifestyle and design vision of the London based magazine. Carefully documented every step of the way, Alberto Guardiani and Wallpaper* created a Video Documentary Series of 6 videos available to view.

In pursuit of the perfect shoe, expression of excellence every step of the way, Alberto Guardiani and Wallpaper* enlisted three experts to contribute to the collection's making:-Thom Sweeney, British tailoring duo Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney, contemporary exponents of the long and peerless tradition of Saville Row (byword for the world’s leading bespoke tailors), who contributed to the design and finishing of the shoes;-Schoeller, Swiss firm in the vanguard of textile research since 1868, which made the most of both company history and latest-generation techniques to develop an extra durable, water repelling and dirt resistant fabric;-Revenge is Sweet, collaboration between graphic designers Angelique Piviere (Lyon, France) and Lee Owens (Melbourne, Australia), who worked on the brand identity for this extraordinary project.

CINDERTHRILLER:

After the immense international success of the “Lipstick Heel” - Alberto Guardiani's iconic shoe, which has won an international array of fans including Katy Perry and Sarah from Paris’ most reputable boutique, Colette.

This incredible success led to Alberto Guardiani joining forces with i-D to launch a worldwide competition to find the next “It Shoe,” one capable of repeating the Lipstick Heel’s remarkable performance. The competition has been named ‘Cinderthriller’, a title which epitomises the feminine concept and the thrill of the search.

A prestigious judging panel of industry superstars included Terry Jones, i-D’s Editor in Chief, Rubina - one of the Guardiani daughters, Anna dello Russo - the international creative consultant and fashionista, Georgina Goodman - the prolific shoe designer, Sarah - the owner of Paris’ most famous concept store and Andrew Keith, president of Hong Kong’s premium department store, Lane Crawford.

After evaluating around 800 shoe designs sent in from 50 different nations, the panel of judges finally managed to select the contest’s winner. Butterfly wings on a sensual bright red heel: that’s what sets the Flutterby Shoe a class apart. The winning design created by Lady San Pedro, a 28-year-old designer from the Philippines who works in advertising and makes her home in Barcelona. It’s an iconic shoe that captures an unconventional sense of femininity reflecting San Pedro’s personal philosophy of life:“spontaneity, and being able to ‘wing it’, can only come from a woman of intelligence and experience”.

The Flutterby, the new It Shoe, has become part of the Alberto Guardiani Autumn/Winter 12/13 collection, sold within the brand’s stores as well as key retail partners, Colette and 10 Corso Como.