Inked Steps

Luxury knows no boundary. You might have slipped into a pair of bespoke shoes and felt there was still something missing, then you need to go to Berluti. The French company does not just handcraft and hand-stitch shoes, but also go a notch higher by personalising them. We spoke to Elena Lodi, a tattoo artist working with Berluti as she showed her how exquisite and intricate leather tattooes can be, and are perhaps the highest mark of personalised luxury. Edited excerpts from the conversation.

How do you come up with the ideas for tattoos?

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We usually work on four themes, which cover a classic bestiary of insects and animals, the signs of the Zodiac and the Chinese horoscope, vintage designs with eagles and calligraphy. We ask our clients to choose from a few catalogues. However, if someone wants to have something unique and different, we don’t mind entertaining their request. Customers often give me a subject to work from, something that is really close to them, and that they want to carry with themselves.

Many purists believe that the kind of tattooing on leather that Berluti does is taking customisation a bit far. Your thoughts?

I personally enjoy tattooing on our shoes, bags, belts and wallets, and our clients love what we do. There are many players in the bespoke process. Making something like a bag or a pair of shoes truly personal and individualistic means that we needed to look at avenues that were beyond the obvious. Thus, Olga Berluti started tattooing the Venetian leather works, be it shoes, bags or belts for Berluti in 2003.

What has been the most outlandish thing that a client has asked you to do?

There was this one gentleman who wanted the quarters of his shoe to have the Great Wall of China. That took great effort on our part, as we had to work on the inside as well, and had to disassemble the shoe to get started. Another gentleman asked us to tattoo the face of his daughter from photos ranging 12 years. So, that were 12 different faces on each shoe.

How long does it take you to complete a project on an average?

That differs from project to project. The one with the Great Wall of China took me about a week or so. Even for the seemingly easier ones, it takes me at least three hours per item.