continuing its mission to shed a spotlight on local tradition, sardinia-based interdisciplinary practice pretziada — founded by ivano atzori and kyre chenven –presents a polished remake of the island’s classic shepherd boot. deeply rooted within the region’s culture, the shoes historically had the same design for children, women, shepherds, teachers and doctors — everyone had one pair for the country, and one for town. maintaining the nomadic influences that characterize the style, the studio has reimagined and produced the boots in artisan batches from vacchetta leather.

pretziada remakes sardinia's shepherd boots into ultramodern shoes
the pretziada boot is a remake of sardinia’s shepherd shoes
video by cristiano abis / deltafilms london

 

 

although each region of sardinia has its own take on the shoe, the pretziada boot is based on the sarcidano style — a version originating from the central, southern region of the island. ‘an homage to minimalism, it has a refined silhouette with strong particulars. the quarters fold over each other and are finished off with an overlapping tongue, making the boot water resistant and sturdy,’ says pretziada. ‘the traditional vegetable-tanned leather has been upgraded to a soft and supple cusna, while the complex ideal artisanal construction assures durability. suitable for both country and city, there is a certain ultramodern quality to the sarcidano model.’

pretziada remakes sardinia's shepherd boots into ultramodern shoes
the design is based on the sarcidano style, coming from the central southern region of the island

 

 

a curious detail about the pretziada boot is that its sole remains completely unvaried — 100% smooth rubber. depending on who you ask, the reason for this design feature has a variety of interpretations. shepherds, for example, will tell you that the boots’ level surface is for practical purposes — such as being easier to clean when using a mat. others tell the story of how the smooth sole aided bandits, who wanted to avoid leaving footprints in a quick escape. whichever version you want to believe, these traditional boots — and the history they hold — have been given the perfect, contemporary look.

 

the boots are available online on the pretziada shop.

the pretziada boot sardinia designboom
the pretziada boot celebrates the art of collective fashion

the pretziada boot sardinia designboom
the sole is 100% smooth rubber

the pretziada boot sardinia designboom
the quarters fold over each other and are finished off with an overlapping tongue