Made in Italy

An integral part of the success of our Moorland and Dodi boots is that they are produced in a small family run factory based in the Veneto region of Italy, 50 kilometres northwest of Venice. An area rich in the heritage, skills and traditions of making quality outdoor footwear and acknowledged as a shoemaking centre of worldwide importance.

The business has been run by the same family for over 50 years, who have crafted a dedication and passion to continue the skills built up over the generations.

The region’s shoemaking skills and traditions are deeply rooted and date as far back as the 13^th Century.  In 1278 shoemakers from the Venetian Republic formed a shoemaker’s guild to provide training, improve skills and set performance standards for their work.  In time the shoemaker’s guild split into two; those who made labourers footwear moved north into the Alpine foothills, while those making finer footwear based themselves on the banks of the River Brenta.

The alpine foothill region supplied and processed timber for the Venetian Arsenale to construct the Venetian Republic’s fleet of ships.  Lumberjacks flooded into the area for work and the shoemakers in the area became famous for the production of the traditional “galloze”, a heavy leather boot with a carved wooden sole, ideal for those working in the mountainous terrain.  As more lumberjacks came to the area for work, more shoemaking artisans joined them.

As time and technology progressed, the area started to produce leather-based ski and walking footwear with rubber soles.  In the 80’s and 90’s, all the key ski brands had a ski boot factory in the area and many major sports shoe brands were established there over the years, including Nordica, Diadora, Scarpa and Technica.  Nike, Salomon and The North Face based their footwear design centres and operations in the area.

There are now in the region of 500 factories of various sizes in the area involved in footwear development and the region is known worldwide as a centre for the production of sports and walking footwear; combining the best of traditional craftsmanship with up-to-date technology and innovative modern materials.