French novelist Emile Zola once remarked, "The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." This turn of phrase seems a fitting testament in a business where creating a pair of made-to-measure shoes can take over 60 hours of intensive craftsmanship and up to five months in production.
It is especially apt in the case of Pierre Corthay, whose bespoke shoes provide the inspiration for what has become one of the world's premier lines of luxury men's accessories, attracting customers as eminent as the Sultan of Brunei. The Parisian atelier has also drawn collaborations with major French fashion houses such as Christian Dior and Lanvin.
No novice in the world of craft or luxury, the young Pierre Corthay made his debut as an apprentice with the Tour de France des Compagnons du Devoir. He joined John Lobb in 1984, and left two years later to take over the reins as the Chef d' Atelier at Berluti. Here he mastered the subtleties of satisfying an extremely demanding and knowledgeable clientele before moving on to launch his own atelier in 1990.
