TheHistorialist: 1970 | PARABIAGO FOOTWEAR

June 1970.

Foto Shoe magazine highlighted the Parabiago footwear production with a 14 page photo editorial. Unfortunately the majority of the featured shoes went uncredited save for a lucky few such as Fiorucci, Lydia, Celestino's and Fratelli Nebuloni.

1970 | Parabiago Footwear

Source: Foto Shoe magazine

We're ready to run a series of editorials about the many Italian footwear districts devoted to quality shoes. So, why start in Parabiago? It's simple: Parabiago was a beacon of light even in dark times. They bit the bullet and kept marching on whereas others closed shop; here in Parabiago they downsized but remained open for business.

Foto Shoe magazine #6 | June 1970

1970 | Parabiago Footwear

Source: Foto Shoe magazine

The article continued on a more personal note with amusing anecdotes the (unnamed) writer recalled about the Parabiago shoemakers. One stood out: a cobbler friend refused at the very last moment a luxurious offer for 6.000 pair of boots from a well known brand. The reason was he preferred to sell the boots one by one rather than give up his own name on the insole label. And he wasn't the first one to do so.

Fast forward forty plus years and now in Parabiago only a selected few are producing under their own names; all the others are "terzisti" manufacturing for the global high-profile brands of this world.

Parabiago: still open for business, no more beacon of lights.