Elia Maurizi—Shoemaker Par Excellence

Elia Maurizi has just come out with a new collection of shoes and boots for autumn/winter 2011.

The collection is full of unisex yet rugged-looking footwear that will have no problem matching next year’s choice of styles.

Some items feature subtle floral prints, vintage effects, and furs.

See more of the new line here.

Photos Copyright Elia Maurizi.

Elia Maurizi Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Now in its fourth collection, “Elia Maurizi” not only proposes an original, fun and character-filled unisex footwear line, but he also looks way beyond the shoe itself, concentrating his attention also on the world of design, enhancing its value during the “Who’s on Next” competition organised last year by Alta Roma, Pitti Immagine Uomo and Uomo Vogue.

This year, he himself defined the path to follow as “I Wanna Be Frisbee”. For this collection, Elia gets his inspiration from the outskirts of towns, i.e. “suburbia”, which sprang up in America around the 1950s-’60s, focusing his attention on the lifestyle of the average American and on the care freeness which marked that period.

This year, Elia Maurizi will team his collection with a genuine line of beach “Frisbees”, and another line of fun scarves to match his footwear collection. There are three styles to choose from:

Dear Bill
Inspired by the man who worked the soil, when manual labour and contact with nature ruled. The lasts are soft and reassuring. The materials are natural and soft, with woven or micro-perforated processing. The colours tell of the past, winking at the present with a touch of irony.

Little Susanne
The journey proceeds along “Coney Island” beach, on those endless days of summer sun. The footwear is inspired by the faraway “espadrilles”, revamped with the processing of the hides and the new and authentic “vintage” finishing which distinguishes it. The colours of the hides recall those of the soil and beach (“the soft dream”).

I Meet Walter
Set in the garden of an usual house of “Monroe” (UTAH), where Walter Morrison, i.e. the inventor of the flying disc, played with his wife with a metal pie tin. This line is distinguished by uppers with through holes which recall the roundness of the mythical Frisbee, reinterpreting past taste with a modern feel. Suede leathers with two-tone cuts yet not with relaxing colours and white rubber soles with a vague “street” appeal.

Photos Copyright Antonio Maurizi.

Elia Maurizi: Walk in Progress

Native to Macerata in Le Marche of central Italy, Elia Maurizi has already kicked off his third collection of shoewear.

Born in 1981, Elia was recently discovered last year at the “Who’s on Next” contest of Pitti Uomo, which has launched his shoewear from Italy to the northern capitals of Europe.

For autumn/fall 2010-11, Elia reinterprets the 1950 footwear of the U.S. and Paris, while stepping into the stark colors and spacious fits of the 1980’s.

Elia has laced his shoe line into what he calls five worlds:

Go Ride a Mule
—trails through the countryside of the 1960’s with outdoor picnics and open-air fishing.

Je m’apelle Pierre
—journeys to France for the Parisian refinement of the Fifties.

Dr. Pierre
—lands us in London to the beats of the Beatles.

L’Enfant Terrible
—wears funny clown shoes, transforming fashion into a clown.

Tu Vuo’ Fa’ l’Americano (You Want to Be American)
—returns us to the U.S. in the 1930’s to the miners of Tennessee and the easy riders of the Texan desert!

Elia Maurizi—100% made in Italy.



Photo & slideshow Copyright Elia Maurizi.

Elia Maurizi & "Who Is On Next"

Elia Maurizi is the last designer that I will be able to cover of the 7 finalists for "Who Is On Next," the young designer competition created by Alta Roma in conjunction with Uomo Vogue and to be presented tomorrow at Pitti Uomo.

Elia was born 1981 in Macerata of Le Marche region in central Italy, an area abundant in hills and hilltop towns. For a year, I lived in a neighboring town, also situated far up on a hill and surrounded by a robust medieval wall.

Once a week, I used venture to the outdoor market in the center of Elia's birthplace. The palazzi in Macerata are striking, some dating back to the 12th century. Ah, the memories!

Well, Elia not only received a formal shoe design education in Italy but he also apprenticed with one of the best craftsmen—his father—who owns a shoe factory.

In May 2008, Elia decided to launch his own unisex shoe collection, which plays on irony, simplicity, and an innovative taste for things of the past.

Photo top right by Idéfix, Copyleft at Wikipedia.
Slideshow 2010 s/s collection Copyright Elia Maurizi.

“Who Is On Next” is On at Pitti Uomo

As the 76th edition of Pitti Uomo soon approaches, so mounts the excitement surrounding the best up-and-coming menswear designer!

Created and organized by Alta Roma—Rome’s fashion week—and in collaboration with Uomo Vogue, Who Is On Next will be held in conjunction with Pitti Uomo. But, pazienza everyone, we will have to wait until June 18 for the winner to be announced!

So just who are these emerging designers On Next?

Seven finalists have been selected: representing four read-to-wear and three accessory collections. Have a look and cast your vote!

Leitmotiv
Designers: Fabio Sasso is originally from the southern Italian city of Potenza and is a graduate of Dams Institute; while Juan Caro is from Bogotá, Colombia, and is a graduate of the Academy of Art.

Style: A blurring of art and fashion, male and female, past and future.

Marvie
Designer: Born 1976 in Perugia, Italy, Maria Vittoria Sargentini is a graduate of the Fashion Design Institute in Florence.
Style: Non-seasonal with a minimalist, avant-garde balance.

Made in Roma

Designers: Pascal Gautrand was born in 1974 and is a graduate of the Institut Français de la Mode. He collaborates with shirt craftsman Roberto Marino.
Style: Custom shirts with patchworks of classic shirting.

Umit Benan
Designer: Umit Benan was born 1980 in Germany and has since lived and worked in Istanbul, London, New York, and Milan. He has a BA from Boston University in the US.
Style: Inspired by Cuba, photographer Slim Aarons, and references to films “Scarface” and “Blow.”

Elia Maurizi

Designer: Elia Maurizi is an Italian shoe designer whose father owns a factory that produces classic shoes.
Style: Eclectic, unisex footwear with influences from the American Fifties and the future.

Hewn
Designer: Italian, based in Florence.
Style: Luxurious shoes and bags in stretch suede, old sued, crinkle, and old romantic cow.

Max Kibardin
Designer: Max Kibardin was born in Siberia, Russia, and pursued his fashion career at Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy.
Style: Mathematical balanced approach to footwear, allusions to Alain Delon in “The Swimming Pool,” vibrant colors, and fine exotic materials.

Photo top left Copyright Elia Maurizi.