What is "gravati"

Gravati is a family-owned company founded in 1909 that manufactures men's and women's dress shoes in Vigevano, Italy. Although Gravati uses a variety of shoe construction methods, including Bologna and Goodyear construction, the majority of their production uses Blake construction. The shoes are hand-crafted entirely within the factory by skilled artisans and technicians. Every pattern of every Gravati shoe is hand-cut. Unlike most modern shoe manufacturers, Gravati does not maintain stock—retailers must specify the patterns, lasts, leathers, soles, and construction methods that they want; and only then will the factory make the shoes. Their production methods are typical of many upper-echelon shoemakers in that the uppers are cut (or clicked) and lasted and the shoes finished by hand, but that all sewing is done by machine.

Gravati's American retailers include Stanley Korshak, Davide Cenci and Wilkes Bashford.