Bootmaker Fasciani Signs Bluman

By Paula Parisi September 24, 2015

International show jumping star Daniel Bluman has signed a deal with bespoke Italian bootmaker Alberto Fasciani.  Bluman will provide inspiration and insight into a new Bluman-model boot that will be available at Alberto Fasciani shops and online.

Bluman is no stranger to haute équestre, as an ambassador for Hermès Sellier since early 2013. The Colombian-born rider, who still competes under the nation’s flag, has arranged for part of the proceeds from Bluman boot sales to go to Antorchas de Vida, a not-for-profit foundation based in Medellin, Colombia, which promotes equal opportunities and provides full protection to children and families in extreme poverty and at high social risk.

“I am very happy to be able to work with a company that produces such high quality boots and shoes and most importantly, who share a vision very similar to mine,” Bluman said yesterday, announcing the arrangement. “Alberto is passionate about what he does and you can feel that passion in all his products.  I am thrilled that he has decided to join forces with me and my other partners to support Fundacion social Antorchas de Vida, to help kids in impoverished situations have the opportunity to live a better life.”

In addition to Hermès, Bluman’s other partners include Samshield and Horseware. He also has a major sponsor in Constructora Conconcreto, a high-tech industrial design and construction company specializing in outsized edifices like office buildings, transportation infrastructure and energy plants.  It speaks highly to Bluman’s work ethic that he has harnessed forces that scale from an Italian hand-craftsman to one of South America’s biggest construction firms to try to improve the world. As someone competing at the highest levels of international equestrian sport, Bluman realizes, “We are very privileged, it is important to remember it and to give back.”

Indeed, boots cobbled by Fasciani tread exotic parcels of earth. For the past few years, his mobile retail outlets have kept step with the Longines Global Champions Tour, where he’s built a following.  Indeed, his riding boots range from luxurious to highly technical to fashionably practical (motorcycle boots, ankle boots, cowboy boots; he even has wingtips amidst his men’s footwear (which ranges from playful to elegant, each style distinctly individual).

The most beautifully grained and dyed leathers, with soles that often look cut from butter, are hallmarks of the Fasciani design, which leverages the natural beauty of crocodile, horween, cordovan, calf and buffalo hides, and helps it along with proprietary aging and waxing processes. The boots are handmade, and the high-performance models are stamped with an individual serial number and come a custom wooden tree to retain shape.

Tall riding boots from his “standard” collection (ready-to-wear) start at about $500 ($300 for paddock boots). Custom fit boots are upward of $1,000 (and can run multiples of that, depending on the materials and level of detail).  A quick Web search of Fasciani boots reveals his work retains its value in the resale market.

Fasciani’s parents started making fine leather footwear in 1950. Eventually, Alberto, an enthusiastic recreational rider, began making custom boots for himself. For the past 35 years, they’ve been a significant part of the family business.  He introduced sneakers, a “sport collection,” in 2013.

And when it comes to riding ware, Fasciani — whose family-owned business was formed has been making custom boots since 1950 — views them as equipment, not unlike saddles and bridles. “Wearing them means having an extra tool which allows the knight to perform at his best,” his website states somewhat anachronistically, yet not without charm.  The village of Fermo, where Fasciani manufactures his wares at his own “lab,” is ancient, founded as a Latin colony in 264 BC. When the wind is right, we’ve no doubt knightly hoofbeats hang in the air. He has showrooms in Milan and Moscow.

Bluman divides his time between Europe and the U.S., managing three Bluman Equestrian centers, in Wellington, FL,  Long Island, NY and one in Brussells, Belgium. Bluman will contribute to raising awareness for the Fasciani brand internationally, as well as during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, for which he has already qualified individually.

 

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