Bontoni

The cost reflects how few are made and how long each takes. Bontoni's nine artisans produce just 3,800 pairs a year, and from start to finish a single pair takes about 14 weeks and nearly 26 working hours to complete. You are paying for genuinely small-batch, hand-built footwear rather than factory-line output.

For lovers of artisanal Italian footwear, they make a compelling case. Bontoni is known for hand-coloured leathers, distinctive original designs and meticulous craftsmanship, made in one of the last established in-home, family-owned artisanal workshops in all of Italy. If you value rarity and handwork over a recognisable logo, that combination is the appeal.

It comes from a different tradition. Bontoni is a third-generation Italian house making handmade men's dress shoes from a tiny workshop in the Marche region, celebrated for hand-coloured leathers and original designs, whereas the famous English names are rooted in Northampton's shoemaking. Choosing between them is largely about whether you prefer Italian artistry and patina or English structure and house style.

They are made in Italy, in a nine-person workshop on the outskirts of Montegranaro in the Marche region. The Casa e Bottega, or home-based workshop, is located in founder Franco Gazzani's basement, which is part of what makes Bontoni one of the last remaining in-home, family-owned artisanal shoemakers in the country.

Bontoni was founded in 2004 by Franco Gazzani, a third-generation family shoemaker, together with his distant cousin Lewis Cutillo. The name comes from the French bon ton, meaning sophisticated manner, a fitting label for shoes built around refinement and craft.

It runs three generations deep. Before the brand existed, Gazzani's grandfather, uncle and father made custom shoes for a limited number of clients under no label, and many of the models the house carries today were originally created by his father and grandfather. Bontoni essentially put a name to a family craft that long predates 2004.

Its bespoke, or su misura, service is a long, personal process. It includes two to three personalised fittings and typically takes seven to ten months to complete. That timeline reflects how thoroughly each pair is shaped to the individual wearer rather than offered off the shelf.

Bontoni is especially known for its hand-coloured leathers and the distinctive patinas that result. Because that colour is applied by hand, it gives each pair real character, and many enthusiasts consider that artistry the whole point of the shoe. As with any hand-finished leather, looking after the surface is part of ownership.

Treat them as the hand-finished objects they are. Use shoe trees to keep their shape, rotate pairs so the leather can rest between wears, and condition and polish them regularly to nourish and protect the hand-coloured surface. Gentle, consistent care preserves both the leather and the patina that gives Bontoni its character.

Its ready-to-wear collection reaches only a limited number of high-end retailers worldwide, including names such as Bergdorf Goodman and Harrods. That deliberately narrow distribution matches the brand's tiny annual output, so finding them is part of the exclusivity.