Hello! The one in the photo is me, Fabio Mancini, founder of the Velathri Calzature project. 

I have lived a large part of my life in Fucecchio, a town located in the so-called “leather and footwear district“, which is one of the most important Italian tanning and footwear poles. Living every day next to this reality inevitably leads you to acquire, directly or indirectly, a certain confidence and experience in the world of shoes and leather. In fact, footwear were the work I’ve been working on for more than 10 years now. The fate then led me to move to a totally different area, the Valdicecina, near one of the most famous Etruscan cities in the world: Volterra.

The peace and tranquility that are breathed in the hills of Volterra and the beautiful Tuscan landscapes have given me the inspiration and  to make a change in my life, a shape to my passion: to create MY shoes. Starting from a white paper, thinking about colors, choosing materials and trying to create a high quality product that would be aesthetically suited to the most important occasions and, at the same time, comfortable to wear even 16 hours a day. My inspiration, Volterra, has also become the name of my project. In fact Velathri is the Etruscan name of Volterra.

As the Etruscans have helped to build works that we can still admire, in the same way Velathri Calzature aims to create a sneaker made just right, using only Italian labor and materials, to stand out from standard mass products coming out of polluting industries and low-quality cheap prices that unfortunately invade the market, in view of a sterile disposable that makes us slaves of repeated purchases.

Choosing a Velathri sneaker means buying a handmade, long-lasting and resistant product. It is about wearing a product that has a soul, a solid story behind it, the result of the wisdom of the Artisan Mastri, according to a genuine tradition that you can support and keep alive one step after another. We buy leathers certified by the Consortium of Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather, which brings together about twenty artisan tanneries of the Tuscan Leather District, determined to protect their niche product and share the same production philosophy closely linked to the territory.

From tradition to innovation: we have also thought about those who want to give free rein to the imagination, creating autonomously the design of a unique and unrepeatable product. In the “Velathri Custom” section you can get a sneaker decorated by hand by our artists, with all the subjects you like: from a simple signature or writing, to the most original designs – chosen or designed by you – that light up your creativity without imitations!

All this is Velathri, now it’s your turn, take the right step, you will not regret it!