FESSURA shoes are born in Italy, in the heart of the Marche hills, with the aim of revolutionizing the world of trainers by drawing inspiration from tradition and focusing on innovation.

It’s a young, dynamic brand that does not simply aspire to make and design trainers, but wants to innovate in the way it interprets and communicates style, reworking the process by which footwear is made.

We reached Alessio Berdini, Fessura shoes’ E-commerce & Digital Manager to discuss the brand’s incredible technology.

The word “fessura” translates to slit or slot in English—tell us about the name, about the brand, and what makes Fessura special?

The name Fessura recounts the distinctive feature of the CHANGE® project, the 1999 trainer with holes through its sole, which became the icon and inspiration of the Fessura world: an Italian word, for an Italian brand.

Its logo also perfectly reflects both this concept and a deeper meaning. In fact, the brand, as through a ‘Fessura’, is constantly seeking change, a new world, rewriting the present with avant-garde and disruptive ideas. The aim is to create a union between design, novelty and technology, through advanced, innovative and patented products.

Tell us a bit more about the origins of Fessura shoes. How did it come to life?

The history of FESSURA has deep roots. During the Second World War, in 1950, Comm. Aldo Botticelli transformed a grain store built in the 1700s into an industrial factory: thus launching the industrialisation of Italian footwear.

Fifty years later, in that same building, his grandsons Andrea, Giorgio and Marco Vecchiola, guarantors of the DNA handed down, founded FESSURA, an avant-garde Italian brand, where fashion, design and art combine with new technologies to create timeless, high-performance and sustainable products.

I understand that there are some unique engineering features to Fessura sneakers—tell us about them.

FESSURA is young and dynamic, all its team is young, every component is less than 30, so it does not simply aspire to make and design trainers, but wants to innovate the way it interprets and communicates style, reworking the process by which footwear is made.

The FESSURA team never stops, it believes in change and breathes it. IS ENERGY IN MOTION. It can be defined as the pioneer of eco-sustainable shoes with the CHANGE® patent, of sock shoes with the SOCKSHOES® patent and of shoes for psychophysical well-being with the REFLEXSYSTEM® patent.

FESSURA’s imagination has always been nourished and inhabited by the desire to protect the environment. Precisely for this reason, the brand was the first to reduce CO2 emissions in footwear production, explore new materials and identify cutting-edge production processes.

The brand’s aim is to offer stylish performance trainers, never giving up on continuous research and evolution.

What is the quintessential piece or pieces from Fessura shoes? What is the brand’s signature aesthetic?

We have few lines, but any of them has its own peculiarity. CHANGE® is the shoe that involves the end customer in its manufacture. The system devised to assemble it does not involve the use of machinery, glue or stitching: it is not just a product of design and fashion, but a true technological shoe.

The concept is really simple and, at the same time, ingenious. The sole remains the constant base of the shoe, while the upper, a meter-long elastic band, slips into the SLITS in the sole itself, allowing the shoe to be created manually and easily. Depending on their mood, the customer will be free to change the color and style of their footwear each time, giving free rein to their fantasy and creative ability.

CHANGE® can be considered a pioneer in footwear Eco-sustainable, as the lack of the classical industrial construction process reduces CO2 emissions by at least 50%.

SOCKSHOES® is the shoe that is as comfortable as a sock and as stable as a traditional shoe. Thanks to the Patent for Industrial Invention dated 2010, FESSURA is the spokesperson for deconstructed footwear, kick-starting a trend that has become global and greatly influencing the way footwear is designed and manufactured.

Its upper can be machined in one piece, greatly reducing the amount of waste associated with normal cutting and stitching techniques. In addition, the transversal and trend-savvy design makes FESSURA SOCKSHOES® suitable for any occasion and is able to offer a new experience of comfort and easy wear thanks to its slip-on system.

Finally REFLEXSYSTEM® is the system designed to offer new sensations of movement for those who want to improve their walking lifestyle.

The secret of FESSURA REFLEXSYSTEM®, Patented by Industrial Invention, is in the upper membrane and in the structure of the sole. The four pads inserted in the sole are able to absorb and simultaneously release ENERGY in different areas of the foot according to the principles of Reflexology.

The cushions correspond to four areas: “MIND”, the highest area of the sole located under the toes, “ENERGY”, immediately after the toes, “VITALITY”, located in the arch of the foot and “MOBILITY”, located exactly on the heel.

Are there any special materials or fabrics you like to use, and why?

All our shoes are extremely lightweight. It is almost impossible to believe the first time you pick them up. This is thanks to the high-quality soles of XL EXTRALIGHT®️.

The formula adopted for the REFLEXSYSTEM® pads, innovative and Made in Italy, is the extrabounce of XL EXTRALIGHT®️: a super-light, flexible, shock-absorbing and high-bounce material signed by the FINPROJECT S.p.A. group.

The soles of the ROCK line are made of XL EXTRALIGHT® Sustainable+, a product 51% of its formula made with a highly engineered process of recovering and mixing by-products from the processing waste of the FINPROJECT S.p.A. company’s factories.

The materials of the shoes are mainly low-impact textiles and stretch fabrics. We hardly ever use harmful glues and the leathers are all recycled. We are very aware of sustainability and respect for the environment in order to safeguard young people, who are the driving force of our team also of the world to come.

Are there any special fit details you would like to share, for our shoppers to know about Fessura shoes?

Of course. Actually, Fessura shoes fit pretty standard. The only ones with a difference are the Runflex #01: as it is a running style shoe, it fits less than normal, so we generally recommend buying a size up for this model.

How important is “Made in Italy” to you? Is it still a marker of quality?

Our design, ideas, technology, are born in Italy. The materials are Italian, but the assembly of the trainers takes place in China, in the fine district of Dongguan. Unfortunately, in all honesty, making shoes with a technological and research background like ours is very difficult for workshops in Italy. China is the best place for it!

Technical sports shoes are not a made-in-Italy peculiarity, so even though our brand is completely Italian, we have made a compromise and made them in China to ensure that our shoes still perform at their best. In this case, made in Italy would not have been a factor.

What is next for the Fessura line? Kids footwear? 

We are already experimenting with a Kids project, with some models that we are distributing in selected shops in Italy. We will see if this project will then have the strength to be launched to the general public. The most interesting novelty, however, is certainly the new trainer that we are preparing and will launch at the Pitti in Florence in June.

It will be a trial run, built with the best of our technologies, and with a very fashionable design. It will be dedicated to the mountains of our territory, to strengthen the link with our land and our origins. I can’t anticipate much more, but it will be an extraordinary novelty, so stay tuned.

About the Author

Alex English is the Head of Content Marketing at italist.com, building on a lifelong passion for fashion and luxury. After publishing a lifestyle blog for nearly ten years and obtaining an MBA in Milan at SDA Bocconi, one of Europe’s top business schools, he joined the italist team in 2019. His work since then has focused on upper-funnel messaging, brand storytelling, establishing italist as a thought leader in the space, and enriching the customer experience on the platform. Find him on LinkedIn.