Artigiano is a name known to any shoe enthusiast. The legacy of Stefano Bemer, who sadly passed away at the young age of 48, has been passed down to his wife, his two right-hand craftsmen, and the head of the leather school with a 70-year history.


The first ready-made shoes that taught me what it truly feels like to wear shoes that hug your feet were by Stefano Bemer. Just over 10 years after setting up his workshop, he was recognized by Franco Minucci, one of Italy's most stylish men, and his work was permanently displayed in the DA Gallery, which only houses first-class craftsmanship. I was struck by the raw talent of this up-and-coming craftsman. He spent his early years working repair jobs and, after closing his shop, going to shoemakers' workshops. He carved many times more wooden lasts than anyone else, ingraining the essence of form into his very being. I realized that this man, hailed as a genius artisan, was truly a man of his word.

July 28, 2012. The glory he had achieved through countless hours of hard work was about to become a thing of the past with his own death. But just as that door was about to close, a man slipped one foot inside. That man was Tom Mazo, a direct descendant of the Scuola del Cuoio, a leather school.


"It's going to be a bit of a long story, but let me tell you about the past. Stefano was already famous when I was a university student. Leather was something I was always curious about, as it was something I was familiar with. What really piqued my interest was when I heard that the actor Daniel Day-Lewis was training there. I was drawn to the world of film when I was younger, so I knew that Daniel was very thorough in preparing for his roles. The two jobs are similar in that they both involve a stoic self-reflection. It made me appreciate shoemakers even more."

Eventually, rumors began to circulate that he was not in good health. The news of his death came in the obituary section of the newspaper.

"I wondered if there was anything I could do. Soon after, I had the opportunity to talk with Stefano's wife, Cristina, and two Japanese people who worked there. We all agreed that we didn't want to put an end to his passion, and we chose to preserve his name for posterity."


Stefano is laughing.

The following spring, Tommaso Melani took over as head of Bemel and tried his own approach. His first task was to relocate and expand the workshop. This was to bring the outworkers under one roof and improve production capacity and quality. He then quickly moved on to opening a school.

"Passing on our skills was our most important mission. Having skilled personnel is essential for the workshop to thrive. Thanks to everyone's support, the school is thriving, and we even started recruiting for 2017 back in 2015. We teach everything step-by-step, and students who spend time with us blend in seamlessly. In Stefano's time, there were only three people on site, but now there are eight, including apprentices."

The reason they were able to build such a system was because of two highly skilled craftswomen, Masako Bando and Kumiko Imata, who had been mentored by Stefano. These two were present at the meeting with Tommaso Melani, along with Cristina.

"Masako and Kumiko pay meticulous attention to every detail, and their skills are truly impressive. On the other hand, they've completely embraced their Fiorentina roots and are very understanding of me. They were against me moving (laughs), but we've become very close since then."


Once he had solidified the foundation, he then began to scrutinize his collection.

"We added two more shoe lasts to the four that Stefano left behind. These were things I felt were missing while traveling the world for trunk shows, not from a fashion perspective, but from the perspective of foot shape. We created them together with Christina."

She showed me a pair of double monk strap shoes, a style that didn't exist in Stefano's time, saying, "I wanted to wear these myself." She didn't make black shoes, instead using rare leathers like corale (cow's neck leather), upholding the aesthetics of Stefano, who was hailed as a leather magician, while adding just a touch of her own personal preference.


When asked what Stefano might think in heaven, Tommaso Melani responded with the most modest words possible: "He always talked about training craftsmen. I think he would be pleased."

With Stefano Behmer's name attached, they could have expanded their business further, perhaps by mass-producing in a machine-made factory and making a fortune. There was no way Tom Mazo, who never forgot the philosophy that Stefano had cultivated, could be dissatisfied. After all, the craftsmen who had shared both the joys and sorrows with Stefano were working with such enthusiasm. I felt as if I could see Stefano smiling through the gaps in the clouds I looked up at.

From left to right: Kumiko Imata, Tommaso Melani, and buyer Yoshie Nakamura.

Tommaso Melani

Born in Florence in 1973, he majored in economics at the University of Florence and has been working since 1998 at "Scuola del Cuoio," a local leatherworking workshop founded by his grandfather.
Following the death of Stefano Behmer in July 2012, he succeeded him as CEO in March 2013, carrying on his legacy.

Text: Takegawa Keiji
Photo: Ozawa Tatsuya

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