Family tradition holds strong in the Santini family. After a brief stint in law, Fausto Santini decided to literally follow in his father’s footsteps, apprenticing at the family’s shoe shop and atelier in Rome. From there Fausto followed his own vision and created a men and women’s accessories collection in addition to footwear.

For the past 18 years, Santini has successfully attracted an avant-garde clientele who share his love for fashion and modern art. The relationship between architecture and design is important to the designer, and becomes significantly apparent in his shoes and bags. Most of the styles appear simple on first glance; though the connoisseur’s eye will then notice linear and geometric forms, for example, in a rounded heel or an H-shaped handbag. Every style is offered and displayed in a full range of colors, from gray shades through every hue of the rainbow. Most cherished, the designs succeed without sacrificing comfort—think Prada Sport meets The Centre Pompidou. Italian architect Antonio Citterio designed the boutique in harmony with the collection, using neutral earth tones and clean lines to help convey the collection.