Daniele Ancarani made his debut in the 1980s as a woman’s footwear designer in companies based in his hometown of Bologna: Buccheri, Bruno Magli and then Di Sandro. In 2001, he developed his first collection in which he expressed the need to “abandon sensationalism in order to propose portable and concrete products.” For him, this doesn’t mean doing away with creativity and imagination, but to use them to achieve style and profitability.
He opened his first boutique in Bologna in 2001, where the furniture is inspired by American architecture of the 1940s. This was soon followed by the opening of other shops in Bologna, and subsequently in Perugia, Catania and Roma, each with its own special identity.
When Fabio Alibrandi became his life and work partner in 2014, a new showroom was inaugurated in Via Zanolini 15, Bologna. The space was created in an old factory, where the collections are presented to Italian and international customers.

What does style mean to Daniele Ancarani?
“Style is a way of being and it is very personal. It is not subject to imposition, it is timeless: it’s being comfortable with yourself at all times”.
What are the brand’s guidelines?
“Class and good taste, without frills. Modernist hyperboles and the ‘young at all costs’, rule are my key words, alongside simplicity of the shapes enriched by elaborate details and handcrafted finishes”.
What inspires your collections?
“Sophisticated yet comfortable streetwear, where the heel shapes and heights are never extreme. We want to create a high-quality product at an affordable price, aiming at a contemporary shoe whose materials, colours and lines are conceived and selected with extreme care and attention”.

How did you interpret the next 18-19 Winter?
“We have launched a collection contaminated by small details rich in history, tactile perceptions that go beyond satisfying the eyes, to create a product whose uniqueness and exclusivity brings together the results of the most modern technologies, while respecting tradition. It is the revisiting and dwelling on a detail and reinterpreting it in a contemporary way.
The focus is on a street-wear style, borrowed from sportswear that appropriates the trends deriving from street clothing and from youth culture that expresses its style in a trendy and cool way”.
Are you satisfied with the results achieved in these years?
“I would have to say yes. In 2017, sales reached almost 1.7 million euros, an increase of 68.2% compared with the previous year. The growth trend started in 2014 and is very positive”.
What is on the horizon for the near future?
“We certainly want to increase sales in China, where we have grown by 25% in recent seasons, in Japan, where the increase has reached double figures (+10%) and in England (+15%).
As far as the retail sector is concerned, we plan to open a flagship store in Turin, while abroad we are considering opening shops in Munich and Paris, where we would like to be present by 2018”.