Rupert Sanderson

Rupert Sanderson founded his eponymous company after returning from working in Italy in 2001. His design philosophy is simply ‘less is more’. Avoiding augmentation and over-dressing the foot, he concentrates on perfecting the line, volume and material to flatter and lengthen the leg, making women feel sexier. His inspiration comes from the materials themselves: from the sensual curve and silhouettes of the lasts and heels, to the quality and finish of the best leather and fabrics. In a moment of madness, or divine intervention Rupert Sanderson resigned from a disastrous career in advertising to learn how to make shoes at the world-renowned Cordwainers College in East London. During the summer break of the two year course, Sanderson rode a motorbike to Italy to visit as many shoe factories, tanneries and last makers as he could. In a very short time he was working in Italy firstly for Sergio Rossi and then Bruno Magli. Rupert is very proud to have been able to work with the founders and their families of both these companies before they were bought by larger luxury goods companies – it has stood him in good stead with the close-knit Italian shoe-making community. By way of reinforcing his design principles, in July 2006 Rupert Sanderson bought a controlling interest in the Italian factory he had been working with since his first collection. The skills and know-how built up over generations had to be safeguarded to ensure every pair of Rupert Sanderson shoes were the best they could possibly be. Rupert Sanderson was awarded Accessory Designer of The Year at the British Fashion Awards 2008. For Autumn/Winter 2009, Rupert Sanderson designed the shoes for Karl Lagerfeld’s main line collection and has since collaborated with some other big names in the fashion industry, from Parisian haute couturier, Maxime Simoens to young British talent, Osman Yousefzada and Milan based designer Antonio Berardi.