Amalfi by Rangoni

Ugo Rangoni was a leather salesman in Florence, Italy. In 1937, he founded a company on a simple premise: shoes should be made using the best materials possible. And Ugo Rangoni knew how to find the best.

He also found a willing audience. The Rangoni recipe of "quality plus comfort" proved so popular that in the early 1940s the company created the Amalfi line for American buyers, becoming one of the first Italian designers to export to the United States. U.S. sales had surpassed one million pairs per year by 1973, the year Ugo Rangoni died – leaving the company to his son, 18-year-old Niccolo.

Niccolo Rangoni remembers those first years of responsibility in the family business as challenging ones. But it's the challenge today that keeps him passionate about building on his father's legacy.

"In the fashion business, every season you start from scratch," he says. "You are constantly creating a new product, a new look. Once you have that in the blood – it’s very difficult to give up." "We’re committed to using only the finest materials in our shoes’ construction: interesting textures, surprising prints, and leather from the finest tanneries in the world. The result is a shoe that's as easy on your feet as it is on the eyes. With each shoe in the Amalfi line, Rangoni seeks a perfect marriage of quality and comfort. That’s also why we continue to offer shoes in a full range of widths in an era when most manufacturers are scaling back. If the shoe fits, you’ll wear it. And Rangoni shoes are made to be worn."

"So how do we offer this level of quality at a cost that’s an average of $100 less than comparable brands? Low overhead. Factories we own – and staff – ourselves. And a location in Florence, Italy, that’s just miles from the finest leather tanneries in the world. You could call it the heart of fashion. For more than 70 years, we’ve called it home."