Skilled shoemakers handcrafting ALODD's Montebello Line footwear at our workshop in Italy.
California is all about relaxed elegance, so it’s little surprise that the shoe construction technique that bears the laidback state’s name produces some of the most comfortable formal and casual footwear you’ll ever experience.
Though its name suggests American origins, the ‘California’ technique of shoe construction actually originated in Italy. As is the case with all of ALODD’s footwear, Montebello Line shoemaking is carried out entirely in Italy, by skilled Italian craftsmen.
Only master shoemakers such as those found in ALODD’s workshops possess the know-how and attention to detail required to successfully carry off this highly complicated technique, which allows zero margin for error — a miscalculation of mere millimetres will see a California-constructed shoe relegated to the scrap heap.
This is shoemaking at its most meticulous.
How are ALODD Montebello Line shoes made?
ALODD Montebello Line footwear is available in a array of styles, including smart slip-ons and lace-ups, and designer sneakers.
The ALODD Montebello Line shoe’s hand-cut, hand-stitched upper — crafted from the finest calf or goat leather — is affixed via a precise, single seam of stitching to a strip of leather running its circumference. This strip is then painstakingly wrapped around and melded with the midsole’s outside base, attaching the upper to the shoe’s super-soft insole (cushioned with all-natural latex covered in supple hide, with three layers of antibacterial fabric) in a manner similar to that seen on baby’s shoes — which in fact provided the initial inspiration for the California construction technique. The completed upper is then securely heat-bonded with the plush Vulcanised rubber sole.
Despite their supreme cushioning qualities, these shoes are worlds apart from factory-made, production-line sneakers. Rather, they’re an exquisite blend of artisanal craftsmanship and elegant Italian design aesthetics, creating a shoe incomparable in melding the comfort of modern athletic footwear with the gorgeously constructed elegance of traditional Italian men’s shoes.