Some shoe designers got into the business because their family is into it or they’ve always naturally known it’s what they wanted to do.
Some designers’ origins aren’t so straightforward- some just felt the need to make a statement, some had to make shoes for a class project, while others didn’t know it was their passion until after spending a month living with a tribe in Africa.
A striking portrait of Italian shoe designer Gianluca Tamburini, known for his innovative, jewel-like footwear designs (Credit: Gianluca Tamburini)
Today’s Designer in the Spotlight, Gianluca Tamburini, is an exception to the typical path. Despite being a fresh talent, he has already earned multiple awards—making it easy to assume he always knew footwear was his calling. However, his journey into shoe design was far from conventional.
But no, Tamburini’s background is actually in cars. He built his skills in the automotive industry, further honed it at his Fashion Marketing Communication studies at Polimoda, and then dove into working on his ambitious project of designing shoes that he describes as “jewels that can be worn on the feet.”
Incorporating jewels into footwear may seem straightforward, but Tamburini elevates it into a fusion of art and engineering. Drawing from his automotive background, he integrates yarn embellishments, coral-inspired textures, and intricate jewel details with cutting-edge materials like aeronautical aluminum, galvanic palladium, and nanoceramic coatings—the same high-performance components found in Formula One racing cars.
All his shoes can be disassembled, and the parts can be combined with other elements from different shoes. You can customize a Gianluca Tamburini shoe in whichever way you want to. Yes, just like a car.
So think of the shoes below as “styling ideas” rather than finished designs. You can buy the model shown as is or, as Gianluca Tamburini says, buy the “spare parts.”
Conspiracy by Gianluca Tamburini shoes
‘Beluga’
‘Biotech’
‘Paris’
‘Maya’
‘Poisonneuse’
‘Amazon’
‘Tarita’
‘Scilla’
‘Kira’
‘Vivienne’
Gianluca Tamburini’s Conspiracy shoe line epitomizes the fusion of high fashion and innovative design. His latest Aerial and Crystal collections showcase mesmerizing jewels, sparkling crystal heels, and cutting-edge technology.
Drawing from his automotive background, Tamburini incorporates materials used in manufacturing Ferrari cars and introduces a mechanism that allows wearers to detach and change heels as they please.
For a deeper dive into these groundbreaking designs, we invite you to explore our detailed feature on Tamburini’s customizable shoes.