Barrett Italy

When a company has a long and illustrious history spanning three centuries, its origins can seem lost in the mists of time and take on a sense of legend. Although the official "Birth Certificate" of the Barrett shoe brand states that the company was founded in 1917, in fact, its roots go back to the 19th century, when there was a small but prestigious shoe workshop Tanzi e Zanlari in Parma.

It was here, on an unknown date between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that John Richardson Barrett, a prominent British businessman who at the time owned a tannery in London's East End, appeared. When Barrett arrived in Parma for his Grand Tour, he decided to buy shoes suitable for the Mediterranean climate. He fell in love with the shoes made by Tanzi e Zanlari, first as a passionate customer and then as a supplier of leather for the company. In 1917, he finally decided to join the company.

In 1952, real change was in the air. Eliseo Putzolu, a young entrepreneur with a passion for luxury footwear and a Barrett customer himself, acted as a partner to help restore the brand to its former glory. His enthusiasm and strategies have proved to be successful and the Putzolu family is now inextricably linked to the brand.