Barrett was established in Parma, in 1917.
How It Started
At the end of the 1800s, when the cultural and natural scenario followed mainly in the footsteps of the so-called "Grand Tour", John Richardson Barrett, the owner of a well-known tannery in the East End of London, decided to take a trip to Italy, a country he had heard so much about in the social circles he frequented habitually.
During his travels the need arose for a new pair of shoes, more appropriate for Italian summer weather, and in Parma "Tanzi e Zanlari", master shoemakers with a shop that was quite renowned in the Emilia region at that time.
Here Barrett discovered the understated elegance of airy design and total comfort, matchless finish and unequalled fit. With great satisfaction he order two pairs and then offered to supply "Tanzi e Zanlari" with the best batches and leather once he got back to London. It was the start of an incredibly successful partnership. In actual fact, in 1917 the heirs merged their businesses here in Parma and founded the Barrett company.
The business was immediately given a more corporate approach.
During the years that followed, and up until World War II, production continued to expand to quite significant quantities but this never affected the company's commitment to craftsmanship of truly exclusive and excellent items. Italy's leading stores became Barrett customers and the brand was soon established with even the most demanding clientele as it was increasingly acknowledged and appreciated as one of the very few national manufacturers of luxury crafted footwear. In dazzling Thirties Rome, the capital city's top window displays were at SAMO in Via Veneto, who marketed and sold Barrett footwear to contemporary actors and politicians.
This heyday came to a brusque end, overwhelmed by the Second World War. Barrett production was more or less totally suspended and the line converted to making military footwear for the Italian army.
From The Fifties
Immediately after the end of the war, the company returned to its standard products but the market was still struggling to recover from the after effects of the terrible conflict. But it was precisely at that time, in 1953, that Eliseo Putzolu, a brilliant young businessman, an aficionado of luxury shoes and a loyal Barrett patron, decided to buy a share in the company. His goal was to restore the business to its leading role in the high-end handcrafted footwear sector as quickly as possible.
As the Sixties rolled in, the plan was already a success and Barrett shoes were back in Italy's best showcases. Barrett was once again a first-class male footwear label. Professionals, entrepreneurs, several Italian presidents, famous authors, actors and the most memorable and loyal of them all, Marcello Mastroianni, bought Barrett and in many cases only Barrett.
In 1983, thanks to its ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction, the company identified a very precise market requirement and began producing women's shoes.
Since that year, this line has been manufacturing and marketing footwear of Barrett's customary quality, crafted with prime materials and appealing to the public for its quiet elegance and sheer comfort.
The BluBarrett Label
In 1999, in line with the growing popularity of more casual and less formal footwear, the company began to launch its new brand dedicated totally to a line of sneakers: BluBarrett.
Sneakers were forging ahead at that time, creating a style trend for complete across-the-board use, both for social status and dress code, eventually becoming the leading fashion players of recent years.
With BluBarrett the company introduced its brand to the production of casual footwear and was fully convinced of its launch in this innovative market segment, although it has never betrayed its distinctive, deep-rooted manufacturing concepts.
In fact, the BluBarrett lines must comply with the brand's typical specifications combining comfort, materials and quality features to achieve state-of-the-art designs.
Barrett Today
Barrett can boast almost a century in the business and is one of the oldest and most prestigious footwear manufacturers in Italy and abroad. Barrett is actually one of the few companies to produce completely handcrafted shoes using the finest materials and techniques. The company always has available for its production line a store of over 80 lasts and more than 3,500 styles, including both vintage and current collections, manufactured with traditional techniques: Norvegese, Blake-Rapid, Goodyear, loafer and, of course, the "slip-lasted Bolognese", which has pride of place in the catalogue, promising exceptional softness and flexibility. The slip-lasted Bolognese is now the unique heritage of a handful of companies because it is so complex to produce: the shoe is made off-last and lasted subsequently. To achieve this, the leather and model must fit absolutely perfectly. After about three weeks of lasting, an ultra soft leather insole is applied, followed by a hide sole.
To-date no construction technique in the history of classic, high-end footwear manufacturing has equalled the quality and refinement of this technique.