HISTORY AND
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Rangoni has been working in the women's footwear sector for more than 80 years.
Our story began three generations ago, when our grandfather Ugo Rangoni, a young leather and women’s footwear sales representative, decided to set up his own business and in 1934 with his first savings acquired Mimi, a loafer factory, which would later become the first Rangoni shoe factory.
Ugo begins to produce handcrafted and high-quality women's shoes, achieving great successes in a short time.
Since then, the Rangoni family has never stopped, overcoming every crisis, has continued to create beautiful Italian handmade shoes. This continuity has allowed us to improve the quality of our shoes more and more and at the same time to maintain their craftsmanship and rigorous Made in Italy production. Our made in Italy shoes embody history, experience and passion for details.
Historical and high-quality production
Our shoes are a symbol of a long tradition linked to the city of Florence where we started and where we still continue to make every shoe. Florence in fact gave light to Italian fashion but above all to luxury leather goods, always remaining a leader in the manufacture of leather accessories. And our grandfather Ugo was among the first to believe and invest in this sector, becoming one of the most important producers and exporters of made in Italy shoes in the world. Thanks to the great competence and quality our artisanal production has evolved, and our Italian shoes were among the first to be worn by American women and by the international public.
Craftsmanship today: Italian shoes by women for women
Our history is part of us and makes us unique: this is why we, as two sisters and third generation, have grasped the great legacy of our grandfather and our father Niccolò and combined it with our modern and feminist vision. Handcrafted Italian shoes, femininity & women's emancipation: for us these concepts can and must coexist together to give life to a revolutionary yet traditional product: Italian quality shoes made for women by women. Comfort and wearability, concepts that have always been essential for our historic company and for our consumers, are combined with a feminine, unique, refined quality and style. All these values coexist in our Italian shoes which are both artisanal and fashionable, always with a cosmopolitan taste.
This is our strength: taking advantage of the history, heritage and craftsmanship that few other families possess to create innovative, elegant and always extremely comfortable Italian shoes. Because we believe that women would be the ones to create the best shoes for women.
Our Italian shoes:
a creative and artisanal process since 1934
Each Rangoni shoe is born from an idea, a dream, an inspiration. The world we have in our heads is then transformed into a drawing with paper and pencil. We are inspired by the historical styles and shapes we have in our archive, by the innovations we see while traveling the world, by the inspirations that overwhelm us. We travel around Tuscany and its tanneries in search of the best leathers, the most innovative ones, the most fashionable colours. Many meetings and sketches pass from the first ideas to the creation of the sample prototypes. Starting with the prototypes we put meticulous attention to every detail: shape, heel height, uppers design and mix of leathers..
1934
Ugo Rangoni, a very young representative of leathers and shoes, buys the loafer factory Mimì with his first savings: he begins his adventure in the world of footwear!
1942
The war rages on but Ugo does not give up, converting the production of the shoe factory into production of shoes for the army and expanding into a larger building.
1950
After the war the Italian economic boom begins, which Ugo rides with his shoe factory now called Rangoni, producing high quality women's shoes for the international market. Our historic brand Amalfi by Rangoni was born for the USA market.
1971
Twenty years of great success and expansion pass, reaching the year of records: the Rangoni shoe factory produces 1 million shoes in just one year to dress the feet of an increasingly international and demanding public of women!
1973
A tragedy changes everything: Ugo suddenly dies leaving his son Niccolò in command, who was only 18 at the time. The boy faces the challenge with courage and determination by fully entering into the management of the Rangoni business.
1987
Niccolò grows up and decides to make new investments by entering the retail sector: he buys a chain of stores in the USA, creating the Rangoni Firenze Shoes Stores: the American dream has begun for him!
2000
The expansion in the United States is getting stronger. There are 15 stores in the USA located in various states, while the Rangoni brand signs the creation of an exclusive line with the American luxury department store Nordstrom.
2015
The Twin Towers and the great financial crisis of 2008 led to a difficult decade for the Rangoni world, which scaled down into a smaller artisan center, while focusing on the quality of the Florentine product and on sustainability.
2016 - 2018
During this complicated moment, Valentina and Carolina, daughters of Niccolò and third generation of the Rangoni world, join the company. This is when their brand Valentina Rangoni was born, aimed at a younger and more international audience, recognizable for its refined style and the use of the highest quality materials.
2020
A year that none of us will forget, and the Rangoni sisters also for a good reason: they have created their new concept store and ecommerce Atelier Rangoni Firenze. For the distribution of Florentine handcrafted footwear made by women for women!
