When one year ago we shot the interview you find below, we were already struggling with the pandemic that certainly could not prevent Armando Pollini from sharing some of his countless memories related to his world of footwear.

While I was preparing the set, arranging lights and opening tripods at the International Shoe Museum in Vigevano (his second home), a couple asked him for information about one of the pieces on display. I would have liked you to see and feel the passion and joy with which he more than fulfilled their curiosity.

Many of his creative intuitions, discoveries of new materials, iconic models, adventures around the whole world (really everywhere) will of course remain, but what undoubtedly will never die will be his love for shoes, that desire to to create beauty and to safeguard it, which accompanied him until the end.

We are fond of Pollini not only because of his genius, but also because, with Adriano Pizzocaro – a journalist working in the footwear sector – created a new magazine in 1969, made up of images and photographs that were also a little daring: Foto Shoe, defined as 'the Play Boy of shoes'.

After all, Armando Pollini grew up on bread and footwear. Born in 1935, his father was a model maker and his mother a hemmer, already in 1958 he opened his shoe workshop which led him in 1981 to found Armando Pollini Design. He guided it until 2003, despite the fact that in 2000 he joined the Aeffe group. Since then, Pollini has dedicated himself to the Vigevano International Shoe Museum, to which he donated his entire collection and of which, in recent years, he had been the scientific curator.

We do not want to retrace his entire career here, known by many and in any case well summarised in this article. We prefer instead to pay homage to his genius and commitment by listening once again to his tales about shoes and shoemakers. Together with him, retrace creative ideas, anecdotes and relive the magical and unforgettable times.

Have a nice journey, Maestro!