#redshoe

Upon a chance encounter with female entrepreneur, businesswoman, and engineer Patrice Banks, Italian-American luxury footwear fabricator Darren Smith was inspired to craft the Red Shoe. As Smith himself has been known to say, "Barollo is about passion and a commitment to quality." Certainly, this proved monumental in establishing the relationship between Barollo and Banks. Barollo's Red Shoe steps forward in a new movement built on the fundamentals of empowering and inspiring women to rise and build careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Set upon the feet of Banks, an outspoken promoter of women working in traditionally male-dominated fields, the Red Shoe's iconic design and shape stands out as a testament to the unique drive and skills women specifically bring to the table.

Barollo's shoes have been spotted previously within the pages of Glamour Magazine, but this standout partnership propelled the designer onto the cover of People Magazine where Banks is featured wearing the unmistakable Barollo Red Shoe. The Red Shoe is known for pairing sumptuous, elegant design, clean lines, and brilliant scarlet upper with an innovative heel design that pays homage to its inspiration, Ms. Patrice Banks.

The Barollo Red Shoe will be available for an extremely limited run, and will be individually numbered. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Red Shoe goes directly to benefit the Girls' Auto Clinic. Barollo's shoes have previously been spotted on the feet of celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Marisa Tomei, Caitlyn Jenner, Denise Richards, Kurt Busch, Chris Harrison, and many other A-listers.

The heel of the Red Shoe is slightly different than most high-heeled women's dress shoes. As a nod to Banks' emergence in the field of auto mechanics, an industry highly dominated by men, the heel is shaped in the likeness of a crescent wrench, with the head of the wrench at the heel tip. This subtle design change emphasizes the importance of opening all fields to all genders, embracing equality and diversity.

This isn't the first time Barollo's designs have seen the spotlight. Having been on the feet of many celebrities on multiple red carpets, Barollo's shoe designs are embraced by shoe aficionados and fashion-conscious men and women everywhere due to their graceful, classic lines, elegant style, and quality. Smith himself was inspired to design shoes after memorializing his mother through her shoe collection and recalling the fundamental necessity of good footwear. These are traditions that Smith feels are deeply rooted within.

Barollo is steeped in tradition from generations of shoe cobblers rarely seen in this day and age. Smith's inspiration derives from the cobbler's shop down the lane from his grandfather's restaurant where he would play as a child. He was inspired by the cobblers' attention to detail and careful hand-fabrication of each detail of each shoe. It was while he played in this shop that the seeds of Barollo were planted. As Smith himself likes to say, "Barollo was born from inspiration as a quest to create the world's best shoes and accessories. Everything we do is handmade in Italy, down to our boxes and tissue paper. The factories are boutiques of small family-run businesses, which create some of the most beautiful wearable art for the world to enjoy." The dedication to the preservation of classic styles while utilizing the best materials available is deeply rooted in the Barollo ideology. The importance of creating something intended to last, and to preserve the classics has always been fundamental to the Barollo line.

The Red Shoe is available for purchase in an extremely limited edition of 2,499 pairs. Production will begin in February.