With an immaculate suit, a silk scarf in the breast pocket of his jacket and a pair of elegant and comfortable loafers, Edgardo Osorio is the personification of the modern dolce vita. In the opulent Palazzo Gallarati Scotti in Milan, with spacious halls and baroque decoration, the Colombian shoe designer presented the new Aquazzura spring-summer 2024 collection at the Italian city's fashion week. His sandals, full of colorful rhinestones or made with raffia and fruit motifs, take you to the island of Capri, Osorio's favorite place, on the terrace of a luxury hotel, with a cocktail in hand and, above all, , dancing.
“I love dancing, organizing costume parties and enjoying life. I think there are many sad things in the world and fashion has to give joy, make you dream and, above all, make you feel good,” she explains. What she likes most about her job is “accompanying women in the most important moments of their lives.”
His story in the industry began early, at just 14 years old, in a summer course at the renowned Saint Martins school in London. There he consolidated his passion for accessories, and at 19, after working for several years in the British capital, he moved to Florence to join the Ferragamo design team.
For him, a shoe is more than a product, it has spirit and soul. For this reason, he names all of his creations and gives them value by giving them their own story. Thus, the couturier's favorite drink gives its name to his Tequila sandal, a fun stiletto with tonal crystals that provide the shine of a jewel. “There is something about shoes that a dress doesn't have. It is that way of moving with them, how they make you walk and feel, they transform you,” he acknowledges. His clients include Queen Letizia, Kate Middleton, Taylor Swift and Kate Blanchet.
To carve out a niche for himself in the hermetic manufacturing of Italian shoemaking, Osorio looked for a differential niche among century-old giants. “I wanted to do something that was mine, and one summer I was invited to twelve weddings. Of course, I went to all of them. There I realized that women were complaining about their stilettos, about pain and discomfort, and I thought: why not make luxury shoes in which beauty prevails but in which you can also walk and dance? Aquazzura designs - which in Italian means blue water - range from the dizzying stiletto heel to the ballerina, boots or moccasins.
Its strength lies in the details of its creations, as well as the quality of its raw materials. “I realized that there was an opportunity in the market to do something different and I found a team of wonderful Italian artisans who had been studying the last and its possibilities for more than 40 years. We seek to create a comfortable, soft and ergonomic last,” adds Osorio. His way of understanding Italian craftsmanship applied to footwear has opened the doors to a very exclusive market. Ten years later, their work and vision have borne fruit: the firm generates annual income of around 70 million euros, with a growth of 82 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to the Financial Times.
But Osorio aspires to more. Once he has conquered the universe of luxury footwear, the designer plans to expand the brand's horizon. “In February we launched our first line of accessories, which are basically bags, and in it we seek to convey the same idea of functionality and beauty as with shoes,” she explains while showing one of her bags for the next season, in the shape of a moon and multi position.
The entrepreneur who fell in love with the Italian style and managed to become the country's master shoemaker envisions the creation of a universe around Aquazzura. Osorio would like everyone to be able to enjoy the brand of the golden pineapple, a symbol that alludes to hospitality and beauty and is considered a lucky charm in some pre-Columbian cultures. “I want to sell an Italian imagery, but modern and very beautiful. I would like to make a collection of men's footwear, enter the world of perfume, beauty and sunglasses...”, says the Colombian designer enthusiastically.
