Biasiotto Group, based in Vicenza (Italy), celebrates 65 years. Their shoe counters’ materials and design grant a functional footwear where design and form are given equal consideration, recognizing that impeccable component design is crucial to optimizing the work of designers and shoe manufacturers.
Sixty-five years have passed since the spark of an idea that would give rise to a new kind of shoe counter, destined to revolutionize the concept of footwear. It was 1957 when, instead of attending and finishing high school, Vittorio Biasiotto, unbeknownst to his family, took the Vicenza-Padua-Stra bus every morning to offer the local shoemakers the first shaped leather counters he had begun to produce and perfect every night in his garage. But leather was expensive, and the profit margins weren’t lucrative. An alternative material had to be found. First Pirelli, then a German company, had begun to produce salpa, a recycled rubber and leather material that seemed perfect for replacing the leather counter. Sample after sample, having finally obtained a pre-shaped and pre-glued product that could better adapt to the shape of the shoe, Vittorio Biasiotto invested everything to fly to New York and present his invention at a trade show to the most important names in Italian and international fashion The success was resounding and led to the definitive turning point in 1959: the industrialization of the shaped counter. For many years, Biasiotto was the only company producing it.
Unlike leather, salpa is a material with shape memory: in the counter – whose primary function is to increase the shoe’s durability and improve foot support during walking – it prevents premature deformation of the footwear, making it softer and comfortable. The pursuit of perfection in the form of a shoe requires passionate dedication to the design and creation of its components: once the style and design are defined, it becomes essential to meticulously conceive each individual part to ensure that the upper, insole, counter, toe puff, and footbed perfectly match the designer’s requirements during production.
Today, Biasiotto is a leading company in the production of counters, toe puffs and heel pads in salpa and thermoplastic materials for the footwear industry. Digital transformation and automation are integrated with a focus on continuous improvement: Biasiotto has always invested in research and innovation in production processes, with automatic lines, CNC machines, CAD-CAM platforms for modeling and Nesting systems for efficiency. Manual processing stages, on the other hand, stand out for their importance in the finishing and perfecting process, right up to quality control and packaging of the final product. “We are constantly evolving along with footwear fashion,” says Sergio Biasiotto, owner, CEO and second generation of the family business, “adapting to the needs dictated by the development of different shapes each season. Attention is also and above all focused on material innovation. ‘Sneaker,’ for example, is a latest-generation product, born from collaboration with a company in the sector, which integrates the quality characteristics of salpa with those of thermoplastic materials widely used in the sports shoe sector. The result is a counter with higher resistance of the sneaker, generally subject to premature deterioration of its original shape precisely in the heel area. The coupling of different materials also defines the ‘Anima’ patent devised by my father, an exclusive counter intended for elegant footwear, which adapts perfectly to its shape, giving it an extremely soft feel.”
The transition towards sustainability at Biasiotto is at the frontline. In compliance with the specifications imposed by major brands, the company selects only certified and traceable materials. Salpa is an eco-sustainable, recycled and recyclable product. Thermoplastic compound suppliers must necessarily have obtained GRS (Global Recycle Standard) certification. “Alteray” technology, a certified water-based mixture of metal-free pigments that allows fabrics, leathers, rubber soles, TPU, PU and EVA to change color in sunlight or UV rays, has obtained compliance with the requirements of the Reach CE 1907/2006 regulation. “Shape,” on the other hand, is an eco-sustainable product designed to replace the use of tissue paper in shoe packaging maintaining its perfect shape. Made from certified, recycled, and recyclable material, Shape is easy to insert, customized upon request following client’s needs and reusable by the end customer to keep the shoe’s shape intact. “We have also used the idea,” continues Sergio Biasiotto, “for packaging hats and caps. We use a certified material, made with renewable energy by the Tuscan company Bartoli, a leader in the production of special cardboard for industry. To obtain the desired shape, we have modified our cutting and printing machines. The result is a recycled and recyclable cardboard item – with the brand’s logo upon request – easy to insert and reusable by the end user to preserve the shape and integrity of the hat over time. An alternative solution to tissue paper in an eco-sustainable way, able to significantly reduce the packaging volume (the ratio is one box out of four) as well as management and logistics costs. The packaging sector is one in which I believe and intend to invest in terms of research and development.” Further to sustainability, a new photovoltaic solar panel system has been installed at the historic headquarters in Vicenza to meet a portion of the company’s energy needs. In order to optimize logistics and respond promptly to the needs of clients in the key Italian and foreign footwear production centers, the company has relocated part of its production to Romania since 2002 and to Serbia since 2015: a “door-to-door” delivery service, essential to stay a step ahead of the competition. “We are a reference point for,” emphasizes Biasiotto, “because, thanks to an efficient organizational structure, we are able to guarantee them a quality service, product stability and a production and raw material supply capacity that is difficult to find elsewhere, allowing us to always anticipate the client’s requests.”
The factory in Vicenza, a reference point for fashion and the Made in Italy footwear market
Vittorio Biasiotto with his son Sergio
Sergio Biasiotto at Lineapelle
Historical images of the headquarters and Vittorio Biasiotto
Made in Biasiotto latest proposals for hat packaging, created along the lines of the Shape product, designed to replace the use of tissue paper in shoe packaging