Per Caso Shoes

Six months later, working out of a small storefront near the Port of Genoa, he founded Per Caso Shoes.

Unexpectedly, in the early 1960′s these became a must have shoe for urban trendsetters in Rome and Milan and established Per Caso as a name to be reckoned with in the shoe industry.

Per Caso’s first attempt to move away from work shoes and enter the 'casual’ shoe category proved to be very successful. Circa 1963

Per Caso’s irreverent style was now becoming synonymous with the brand.

This small gesture didn’t go unnoticed by the burgeoning footwear company as  they would later name a shoe after him.

A  favorite among shoe lovers

Rumored to have been designed by Casotti’s mistress Lucrezia

"La Pista", Concept for a running shoe

"The Rotella"

Rendering of Per Caso’s factory and office building in Torino.

Logo for a line of dress shoes

Durability testing, somewhere in the Dolomites

One of the few unisex shoes made by Per Caso and for many years a top seller in their Venice locations.

Ad for proposed U.S.shoe line “Amici”.  Due to the city wide labor strikes in 1969, and ‘disagreements’ with the Per Caso creative staff, plans for this campaign were put on hold and eventually abandoned. Original advertising graphic above was discovered on eBay.

Per Caso’s controversial creative director at the time, Gianni Edera, can be seen on the ‘far left’ of foto.  (The story continues on Next page)

"Quattro Passi", Walking shoe

In an attempt to grow sales the shoe was rebranded as “The Interstate” for the overseas market.  Unfortunately, despite a massive marketing campaign, the shoe was considered a little too “out there” by the American market and never caught on in the States.