The Sutor Dream: Introducing the “made in Arsutoria” sneakers Collaborations

The Sutor Dream: Introducing the “made in Arsutoria” sneakers

We started with a canvas model with a vulcanised rubber sole; followed by a leather lace-up with premium details, mounted on a box sole; a third model with a milled micro sole and a more sporty upper construction; and finally a knitted upper, stitched on to an ultra-light sole.

After twenty years at Arsutoria, I asked myself: for almost a century we’ve been teaching everyone how to make shoes, so how come we’ve never made a pair for ourselves? There’s a saying that often comes to mind: “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” The Sutor project was born to prove that this saying doesn’t apply to the teachers at Arsutoria. After all, who in our field hasn’t dreamed, at least once, of wearing a pair of shoes they made themselves?

But making shoes isn’t a solo job. It is a team game, a melody that needs an orchestra to play. That’s why we decided to involve a group of friends: designers who currently teach or have taught at our school, companies that produce or work with materials, factories large and small with whom we’ve collaborated over the years, building friendships that make it a pleasure to work together on projects.

How did we choose the models? Since we don’t lose the habit of wanting to use everything we do to teach something to the new generations, the choice was to start with four sneakers with different materials and manufacturing characteristics. All, however, strictly ‘made in Italy’.

We started with a canvas model with a vulcanised rubber sole; followed by a leather lace-up with premium details, mounted on a box sole; a third model with a milled micro sole and a more sporty upper construction; and finally a knitted upper, stitched on to an ultra-light sole.

Matteo Pasca

Sutor – V Collection

The ‘vulcanized’ sole construction is a fascinating technique that has been lost in Italy for years. The sole is constructed by assembling strips of rubber and performing an initial bonding to the upper that is made definitive inside an autoclave, where the actual vulcanization takes place. This is an ancient technique that originated in the United States. Some of the brands that still contribute to keeping the fame of this technique alive today are Converse, Superga and Vans. And there are many brands that boast at least one model with a vulcanized sole in their collections.

It was not more than a year ago that we met Leonardo Ricco, an amazing guy from Barletta, Italia. He was born in the shoe business: for years he was involved in selling shoes and then, over time, he got closer to production. Leonardo had a dream: to bring the vulcanization technique back to Italy. Like any entrepreneur of character, together with his partner, in 2017 he opened the company Drop Studio and, after years of analysis and design, in 2021 he dedicated a branch of the company exclusively to the production of shoes with vulcanized soles.

The Sutor-V model, where the ‘V’ refers precisely to the vulcanized sole, could only be born, therefore, from the synergy between Leo and our technical director, Paolo Marenghi. We spent a few days in Barletta and worked together. The result was the first version of this shoe. Watch the video we shot in Drop Studio while working on the project and tell us if you like and are inspired by it… In the meantime, we have our Sutor-Vs on our feet and this first result fills us with pride.

Are you interested in learning more about the possibilities of the vulcanization technique?

Uniqueness, Quality and Made In Italy: these are the three words that distinguish the luxury sneaker of Drop Studio, the Apulian shoe factory that has brought back to Italy the technique of autoclave vulcanization, which has not existed since 1970.

After 18 years of experience in the industry, Drop Studio, led by Leonardo Ricco, is the only company in Italy to create soles by hand and vulcanize them in an autoclave. ‘Thanks to the hand workmanship, all carried out in our factories, every season we produce new designs, difficult to replicate, that meet the stylistic taste of the brands we work for. The vulcanized soles,‘ explains Leonardo, “precisely because they are handmade, they can be made, piece by piece, to your liking, customized in height, thickness, weave and colour”.

Certifications such as ISO 9001, GRS, and Ecolabel guarantee quality, making Drop Studio a leader in innovation and sustainability in the luxury market.

If you would like to learn more about Drop Studio’s know-how, the vulcanization technique and get in touch to produce vulcanized shoes, click here.

Are you interested in the world of sneaker?

Shoe pattern design has been one of the subject for which Arsutoria school is known worldwide. If you are interested in finding out about pattern design techniques take a moment to see if one of Arsutoria’s courses might be right for you.

One-year footwear diploma

The one-year diploma, in Milan, is the most comprehensive course at Arsutoria because it includes both technical training and collection design and 3D modelling. Trainer design plays a central role in the teaching, which includes hours devoted exclusively to sole design and engineering. At the end of the 30 weeks of teaching, participants spend 8 weeks developing shoe prototypes and participating in industry projects with companies in the sector.

15-week technical course

The more than 400 hours of training in the Arsutoria presential course have changed the lives of more than one person. Companies are looking for profiles with technical competence. During these hours we will guide you not only in the discovery of traditional techniques but also in the use of CAD and you will learn how to make the first prototypes of the shoes you are working on independently.

Saturday part-time course

Another historical course at the Arsutoria school, attended by those who cannot dedicate 15 weeks’ full time to training. For some years now, we have been transforming it to cater for those who find it difficult to get to Milan. Only some days are face-to-face, the others are remote.

Online Course

For those who want total freedom to organize their training without time and place constraints, at their own pace. Arsutoria’s online courses are always accompanied by the school’s experienced teachers who follow your course step by step. We have divided the pattern making training into three parts: men’s shoes, women’s shoes and sneakers.

Online propaedeutic course

And if your goal is not to learn how to make patterns but rather to learn more about the world of footwear in general and sneaker in particular, try the video lessons of our teaching director Paolo Marenghi, who has explained these subjects to hundreds of professionals around the world.