Pfister

Andrea (1942). Italian shoe designer. His creations have adorned the feet of many celebrities: Ursula Andress, Claudia Cardinale, Candice Bergen, Jacqueline Bisset, Cher, Valentina Cortese, Madonna, and Liza Minelli. He has worked with companies like Krizia, and he has collaborated with most important tanneries to produce collections of leathers, with a level of creativity and imagination usually reserved for textiles. He was born in Pesaro and spent his childhood in Switzerland. He studied Fine Arts at the University of Paris and in Amsterdam in 1963 he won first prize in the International Competition for best footwear designer, heralding the start of a perfectly successful career. In 1964 he settled in Paris where he designed for Lanvin and Patou. In 1965 he presented his first private collection, and two years later opened his first boutique in Paris and met his future business partner, Jean Pierre Dupré. In 1974 he opened a company in Vigevano, near Pavia, and launched a range of bags, scarves, and belts. In 1987 he opened a boutique in Milan in Via Sant’Andrea, which later moved to Via Montenapoleone. He has a fascinating collection of historical footwear at his holiday home in Positano, with styles from the 1700s, works by sculptors like Biraben, and a shoe designed by DalÕ for his wife Gala.
&Quad;2001, March. The Fin.part Group announced their acquisition of the brand and its manufacturing and trading activities. They also acquired the shop in Via Montenapoleone, the atelier in Vigevano and, most importantly from a creative point of view, the label’s archive of designs, for a total of about 3.5 million euros. The deal also provided for a 5-year extension of current designers’ contracts.
&Quad;2002, July. An own-brand store selling shoes and accessories opened in Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles.