It was the year 1892 in the quiet town of Hurlingham, Argentina, when a famed polo player stopped by the local shoemaker and asked if they could repair his English-made polo boots. Pedro Fagliano, a young Italian immigrant, took the job, and the boots were repaired the next day. A few weeks later, his client came back in awe: his boots were as good as new, and he wanted a new pair to be made as soon as possible. This was the start of Casa Fagliano’s legacy of excellence, which, five generations later, has earned the family its great renown as the best manufacturer of horse-riding footwear in the world.
The Fagliano’s workshop is a marvellous place, full of the smell of ink and leather and the murmur of the hundred-year-old sewing machine, previously owned by Pedro Fagliano himself. Here you’ll come upon his descendants: the workshop is run nowadays by his grandson, Rodolfo Fagliano, who at the same time works alongside his own sons and grandsons, fourth and fifth generations, respectively. Despite there being six highly specialized family members, the workshop produces only a single pair of boots at the same time. Each detail is carefully supervised by every single Fagliano bootmaker, from the leather’s colour to the tiniest seam. None of the Faglianos rest until they are sure every part of the boot is perfect and worthy of their seal of excellence.
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The first step for making a pair of their incredible footwear is choosing the leather: every single pair of shoes, belt or accessory made by Casa Fagliano is made from authentic Cordovan leather, specially picked for the project in turn. The soles are hand-sewn with strong linen thread to ensure quality and durability, and, in the case of sports footwear, they use up to four layers of leather to guarantee both the wearer’s comfort and safety.
Besides their iconic polo boots, the house has produced a wide range of its own models, and time has marked them as great designs filled with tradition. Amongst their most famous are the Mendoza Chelsea boot, a timeless basic of masculine fashion, and the Hurlingham Derby, which was heavily inspired by the boots worn by the English during WWII. Also in the house’s repertoire are fashionable casual footwear, exquisite accessories such as bags and belts, and their exclusive collaboration with the renowned watchmaking house Jaeger-LeCoultre, for whom they produced an exclusive series of straps for the Reverso 80th anniversary special edition. Each strap takes 24 hours to make, and therb e is a wide arrange of options to personalise them, from the leather’s colour to elegant embroidery and handmade engravings.
Heirs to an incomparable legacy, Casa Fagliano is home to a family in which excellence is passed from generation to generation. Each pair that exits their workshop is a fine work of art made to be worn by the most passionate and demanding. Be it in sports, gala or casualwear, Casa Fagliano’s elegant creations are both traditional and in constant innovation, always sure to deliver the utmost quality and sophistication.
Photos: courtesy.
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