Christian Oth Careers

Alessandro Berluti was born in 1865 in Senigallia, a small village in the Italian region of the Marches. After having been trained as a cabinetmaker during his youth, he left his homeland at the age of 19 to try his skills abroad. He arrived in Paris in the late 19th century, a time when the city was experiencing an explosion of creative and artistic expansion. For a decade thereafter, Alessandro worked as a shoemaker, crafting bespoke shoes for clients of international renown, men and women alike, including such sophisticated celebrities such as Isadora Duncan and Elisabeth Arden. His keen eye for aesthetic lines, coupled with a passion for working with hardwood is essential for custom footwear craftsmanship which earned him a reputation as a talented shoemaker. He showed his skills in 1895 to create a new shoe. the Alessandro lace-up. And Berluti was born.

It was more than 120 years ago that Alessandro Berluti first inscribed his signature on a pair of shoes and, in doing so, founded Maison Berluti. From its early days, the Berluti style has been known for it's technical virtuosity and offbeat creativity that spring from its deep roots of savoir-faire in bespoke creation. Though Maison Berluti has kept up with the times, its spirit of craftsmanship has remained unchanged. We continue to innovate in each new chapter of the Maison’s story, pushing the limits of technique and style.

Bespoke is one of the foundations of Maison Berluti. Alessandro Berluti, a cabinetmaker by training, had an extraordinary talent for sculpting wood and impeccably balancing volumes. His artistry inspired every subsequent generation. Crafting a pair of bespoke shoes involves some 250 operations, 50 hours of assembly and three appointments with a Master Shoemaker. Many specialists are involved in making bespoke shoes: the last-maker, the pattern-maker, the cutter, the stitcher. It is the peerless savoir-faire of these and other artisans that makes a Berluti shoe unique.

The Berluti patina, developed in the 1980s, revolutionised the world of men’s shoes by incorporating nuanced colours at a time when most shoes were black or brown. The Venezia leather interacts beautifully with the colours, as they take on exquisite transparency and depth. The shoes exude life and character, as each patina is unique, born of the handiwork of the Maison’s expert colourists.

Founded in 1961, Yves Saint Laurent was the first couture house to introduce the concept of luxury prêt-à-porter in a 1966 collection called ‘Rive Gauche’, synonymous with youth and freedom. This shift represented a first critical step in the modernization of fashion and revolutionized the socio-cultural landscape.

In 1999, the luxury goods division of the Kering Group acquired Yves Saint Laurent and, under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello since April 2016, continues to position the house at the summit of the luxury universe.

Today, Saint Laurent collections include women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, small leather goods, jewelry, scarves, ties and eyewear.

The story of Cartier is founded on audacity and passion. For more than 170 years we have embraced a bold, pioneering spirit that continues to inspire our teams across all Métiers from our boutiques to our workshops and corporate offices. Our 8,500+ colleagues of 90 nationalities are united by a shared independent spirit and commitment to excellence, striving to continuously enrich our Maison’s heritage by pushing the boundaries of creativity.

Milan, 1984: a plaque outside a small office shows the surnames Dolce&Gabbana, almost as if it were a professional studio. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, with only two million lire in their pockets, thus began to write the history of the brand that they would have founded shortly after, in 1985, giving life to an all-Italian dream made up of craftsmanship, tailoring tradition, Mediterranean culture, innovation instinct and a pinch of irony. The first clothing collections would follow over time with a wide and varied offer, an expression of dedication, study and research: a virtuous path that culminates in 2012 with the dream of high fashion.

Behind every Dolce&Gabbana creation lie the secrets of many crafts, the devotion to work, attention to detail and love for beauty. After more than thirty-five years, Dolce&Gabbana continues to be inspired by Italian art, traditions and culture by offering clothes, accessories, jewelry and watches that embody a unique heritage of knowledge and emotions.

“Do better if possible, and that is always possible.”

François Constantin uttered these words on July 5, 1819. Now legendary, they are the spirit of Vacheron Constantin. Over the centuries, the Maison has shrewdly intertwined tradition with innovation to acquire the technical, aesthetic, artistic and human capital that shapes its vision of time. Passion for fine craftsmanship and human hands are behind every feat it accomplishes.

Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watchmaking manufacture in uninterrupted activity for more than 260 years. At no time in its history has it ever stopped creating, enhancing and reinventing itself. Backed by a strong heritage of passing watchmaking excellence down generations of master craftsmen, the company’s creations embody the exact standards of Fine Watchmaking. A technical signature and distinctive look.

Every last detail from Vallée de Joux to the Plan-les-Ouates Manufacture in Geneva reflects Vacheron Constantin's treasured value of harmony. The company's ambition is to champion artistry, agility and human interaction. An integral part of the Manufacture’s DNA, this is the force that powers our human endeavor each and every day. The history that is yet to be written is driven by two words: audacity and timelessness.

Panerai, also known as “Officine Panerai”, is a brand on its own. While Panerai watches have been available to the public only since 1993, the brand has a long and rich history, mainly linked to the Royal Italian Navy. The brand started as a simple workshop created in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai, in Florence, Italy. His “officine” wasn’t only a shop and workshop for timepieces but was also as the city’s first watchmaking school. The main step in Panerai’s history will occur in 1916, after Guido Panerai (grandson of the founder) took over the family business and created “Radiomir”, a self-luminous material that allowed to see the time in the dark and underwater.

For some years already, Panerai was supplying the Royal Italian Navy with high precision instruments. Radiomir, a radium-based powder that gives luminosity to the dials, patented in 1916, will become a key element in Officine Panerai’s production. In 1936, on the eve of the Second World War, Panerai creates the first prototypes of the model now known as “Radiomir” for the frogman commandos of the First Submarine Group Command of the Royal Italian Navy. This large 46mm watch, with superior water resistance, featured a luminous dial and will be delivered as of 1938 to military forces – after several changes to the original concept, including the creation of the “sandwich dial”.

Multiple developments followed, all for military-issued watches only. In 1940, Panerai presents the Radiomir 1940, with reinforced lugs and a cushion-shaped case made with edges that are more pronounced on the side – a shape that will later become the brand’s hallmark. In 1943 will be developed another milestone watch, the chronograph “Mare Nostrum” for deck officers. In 1949, the brand launches a new luminous material named “Luminor”, this time based on tritium, which supersedes the radium-based paste. Coincidentally, the eponymous watch will be introduced, with the development of the trademark crown-protecting bridge – again, an element that will forge the brand’s DNA.

In 1972, the brand will be passed to engineer Dino Zei, after Giuseppe Panerai, son of Guido, dies. The brand still acts as a military supplier, with Italian Navy supply contracts long covered by military secrecy. The production is however now only focused on diving instruments, such as compasses and wrist depth gauges, as well as pressure compensation underwater torches.

It’s only in 1993 that Panerai will be launched to the public. Officine Panerai indeed presented a collection of three series of limited edition watches: the Luminor, the Luminor Marina and the Mare Nostrum, which draw inspiration from the historical models created for Second World War commandos. An important step in the brand’s history occurs in 1997, when the Vendôme Group, later to be named Richemont, will invest in Panerai and make available internationally and transforms it as one of the major players of the industry.

Since then, the brand has launched multiple collections and has even started to create its own in-house movements, thanks to production facilities based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Yet, all the watches that are stamped with the name Panerai are reminiscent of the watches created for the Italian frogmen, with the typical military elements.

This story was originally featured at https://monochrome-watches.com/panerai/.

More than sixty years ago, Robert Jean de Vogüé, at the time President of Moët & Chandon, and a handful of other exceptional individuals had the vision, courage and drive to redefine luxury sparkling wine.

They realized that there was a way to make it modern; and that was to take it far, far from home, exporting their centuries old know how, not the bottles. What they created was a thrilling paradox: a heritage brand with dynamism in its DNA. CHANDON.

Now spanning four continents, we have wineries in Argentina, California, Brazil, Australia, China and India, making ours the largest sparkling vineyard worldwide and the only domain on which the sun never sets.

Drawing on a collaborative network of sixteen winemakers of seven different nationalities, we stand for new terroirs, innovative methods and an ever-curious outlook that happily unites our diverse lands and people. CHANDON opens up a world of possibilities.

Marni is a luxury fashion brand founded in Milan, in 1994. Innovative and multifaceted, Marni celebrates individuality through an unpredictable visual language of graphic rigor.

Marni is a state of mind, a playful spirit, with a history of friendly, humanist values combined with an experimental approach to materials and colors, as well as a unique flair for mixing prints and shapes.

Marni collections include ready-to-wear for women, men and kids, handbags, shoes, accessories and eyewear.

The brand’s aesthetic paradigm mirrors the vision of Creative Director Francesco Risso: the quirky elegance of Marni is a range of possibilities, an exploration of ideals, a lifestyle with an avant-garde attitude that holds a constant dialogue with the world of art.

Founded in Rome in 1884 by the talented Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari, the brand quickly established a reputation for Italian excellence with exquisite craftsmanship and magnificent jewellery creations. Over the decades, the Bulgari generations defined a distinctive style made of vibrant colour combinations, exquisitely balanced volumes and unmistakable motifs that pay homage to the Roman roots of the company. While always revering its cultural legacy, Bulgari introduced innovations that rewrote the rules of the jewellery universe and launched new trends that stood out as icons of contemporary design.

Influential, innovative and progressive, Gucci is reinventing a wholly modern approach to fashion. Under the new vision of creative director Alessandro Michele, the House has redefined luxury for the 21st century, further reinforcing its position as one of the world’s most desirable fashion houses. Eclectic, contemporary, romantic—Gucci products represent the pinnacle of Italian craftsmanship and are unsurpassed for their quality and attention to detail. Gucci is part of the Kering Group, a world leader in apparel and accessories that owns a portfolio of powerful luxury and sport and lifestyle brands. For further information about Gucci, visit www.gucci.com