Made a mano

Meticulously handcrafted in Italy with the perfect blend of high quality materials and unique, precious fabrics.

From Italy con amore

Ever since the birth of Bartels since 1920, our love for Italy has been an integral part of our designs. For almost 100 years, the shoes have been handcrafted by Italian shoemakers in order to have the highest level of quality and comfort. Today, Eva Bartels continues the family love legacy with frequent travels to Italy, always on the hunt for new Bartels designs and fabrics.

La fabbrica

After years of researching, our Bartels shoes are produced by a small, family-owned shoe factory with four shoemakers in a quaint village close to Bologna. Here, every Bartels shoe is meticulously crafted by hand, and as their speciality is within bridal shoes and textiles, you will often find Eva at the factory - curiously testing new ideas and patterns.

Slow fashion

At Bartels we have always believed in timeless designs over fast, seasonal fashion trends. For this reason, Bartels since 1920 creates small, few-of-a-kind collections crafted with love and respect for people and planet. The precious materials that we use are often found in limited amounts. This allows us to avoid overstocking and waste, and - most importantly - developing our shoe collections in an organic, thoughtful way.

The material

With a curious and quality-driven vision, Bartels since 1920 aspires to find and create new life and beauty out of precious fabrics, be it vintage Italian parasols, or artisanal Japanese silk. Our materials are handpicked by Eva Bartels - typically from small, old factories and craft markets - and shaped into the unique, limited Bartels designs as you see them today - giving each pair its own distinctive story.