Stefano black Blake-stitched raised sole +2.4"

Handmade. Made to last.

A sumptuous Oxford, in the finest shoemaking tradition. The Stefano strikes a perfect balance between the sobriety of the cap toe and the richness of classic ornamentation: a pattern of traditional stitching and perforations adorns the front and the quarters, a cap toe elegantly structures the toe, and the 5-eyelet lacing completes a perfectly drawn silhouette. Offered in a deep, distinguished black, hand-patinated, it is the Oxford that works just as well with a business suit as with formal wear — a black with character, never overdone.

A shoe entirely stitched by hand. No glue, no shortcuts. The sole is stitched to the upper stitch by stitch by the artisan, using the Blake method — the noblest assembly technique in shoemaking. This process takes time and skilled labor, but it changes everything: the shoe is flexible from day one, it breathes better because no layer of glue suffocates the leather, and above all — its sole can be replaced by a cobbler when the time comes. A Blake-stiched pair is not thrown away; it is cared for and passed on.

Only leather, and the finest leather. We do not compromise on materials. The upper, the lining and the insole are made from full-grain calf leather — the noblest part of the leather, the one that retains its natural grain and develops a beautiful patina over the years. The sole is genuine leather, stamped Mario Bertulli. The decorative perforations and stitching — on the front, the quarters, around the cap toe — are crafted with the precision this traditional detail demands, and the deep black patina is worked by hand, shade after shade, by a patina specialist: a dense black with subtle highlights that only handwork can achieve.

Mario Bertulli craftsmanship, brought to excellence. Like all our models, the Stefano secretly gives you +2.4" thanks to a completely invisible internal lift. What sets it apart: the shoe around it. You are not simply wearing a height-boosting Oxford — you are wearing a true shoemaker’s piece, designed to last.

A pair that can be resoled, cared for, and age with you.