We tend to save our best garments and accessories for special occasions — the big celebration, the important job interview, Timmy’s wedding — just so they always present in pristine condition. Rather than doing your darnedest to prevent visible signs of use, Berluti is encouraging you to put your best foot forward instead, and to let time and memories imbue your belongings with a rich patina of character.

French author and Nobel Prize winner André Gide once wrote, “The patina of time is the reward for having existed.” Intrigued by how oxidation gives a painted object an aged lustre over time, Berluti explored and then perfected the centuries-old art of patina on leather. Instead of skewing ageing as something to be masked and smoothed away, every crease is emboldened to stand out, painting a ‘portrait’ of one’s unique journey in life. Indeed, even if two identical pairs of derbies leave the store, they will develop very different appearances over time. Thus, in mimicking and enhancing the sumptuous traces that leather experiences upon exposure to the elements, Berluti is offering something that merges the wearer with the artisan.

First, there is nature. What makes Berluti’s designs the perfect canvas for patina to thrive is its source material — leather or, more specifically, Venezia leather, a Berluti-exclusive developed by Olga Berluti praised for its supple quality and fineness that empowers unbounded colour creativity. Having undergone a proprietary in-house tanning process, Venezia is a full-grain, uncoated leather from select hides, with each shoe crafted from the finest sections. Beyond being the perfect base for a rich patina, the leather provides shoes with exceptional traction and flexibility.

Then there is nurture. Upon 15 wears and before being applied with any shoe-care products, your Venezia leather-crafted Berluti shoes will be ready for their first patina — a vital initiation into the wondrous world of Berluti. What happens next is a process passed down through generations since Alessandro Berluti founded the brand in Paris in 1895. In the present day, a master of this alchemy is none other than a Berluti colourist tasked with bestowing fine leather goods with an individualised patina.

A tight-knit community of nearly 60 colourists and 15 master colourists celebrate the signs of wear at Berluti with their craft. Gathered from across the world, these artisans are driven by passion and years of apprenticeship. Resembling medieval Middle Age artists who would only publicly showcase their work after seven years of practice, these Berluti colourists recognise that their craft requires more than just an affinity to pursue.

“It takes five to seven years to really start to master the art of the colourist. I learnt it from my tutor at the Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France, who was a true expert. He taught me the skills, the rules, his tips, like a tattoo artist and his apprentice,” explains a patina specialist based in Berluti’s Paris Studio.

Every year, the colourists gather at a conference to workshop their skills and compete, signalling an ever-growing need to fine-tune the art form. What may seem and feel like magic results from rigorous techniques constantly refined by this circle of artisans. In Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, the Manifattura Berluti offers theoretical and vocational training, totalling 400 hours for novice artisans. With thousands of applications and hundreds of students trained, at least 200 have joined Berluti — further extending the cycle of craftsmanship.

The visual and tactile appeal of Berluti’s approach to patina is as much science as it is art. Trained to understand how leather creases, ages and softens over time, the colourist paints a mental portrait of how the shoe will appear over time, while their hands move in rhythmic motion. Their craft combines a mastery of knowledge with poetic flair — much like a watchmaker assembling a movement with precision. The act of accentuating signs worn by time becomes a demonstration of emotion, honouring the ways they will be cherished and the memories these objects will bear witness to.

Once a pair of Berluti shoes are brought to the in-store patina bar, they are first cleaned and stripped of superficial shoe polish, then massaged with a concoction of oils, creams and waxes to condition their supple leather. For the colouring process, a non-woven cotton cloth wraps around an index finger tightly, serving as the colourist’s paintbrush. A base is created with small, circular motions that are intricately applied — where pressure from the fingers must be just right to avoid unevenness. Rather than an unrealistic caricature, it is in the hands of an expert colourist to create a realistic, cloud-like impression of patina, rather than harsh markings that render cartoonish.

At Berluti, the art of patina positions itself as a bold statement at a time when youth and the unblemished are heralded as the gold standard of beauty. In our singular journeys that sometimes merely overlap, the goal is not to resist the signs marked by time but to champion the endless permutations that life leads us to. Through the masterful hands of Berluti’s colourists, the veil of pigments that adorn this fine footwear enhances its lived-in appeal, celebrating the paths we once crossed and the boundless roads ahead.

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