Casadei (brand)

Casadei
TypePrivate
IndustryLuxury goods, Fashion accessories, Footwear
Founded1958 (1958)
FoundersQuinto Casadei
Flora Casadei
HeadquartersSan Mauro Pascoli, Province of Forlì-Cesena, Italy
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Cesare Casadei (Creative Director)
Arianna Casadei (CEO / General Manager)
ProductsWomen's footwear, handbags
Websitecasadei.com

Casadei (officially Calzaturificio Casadei) is an Italian luxury footwear company specializing in the production of women's handcrafted shoes.[1] The company is best known internationally for its Blade heel, a sharp stiletto made of hardened steel, introduced in 2011–2012 by creative director Cesare Casadei.[2]

History

Casadei was founded in 1958 by Quinto Casadei and his wife Flora Casadei, along with Quinto's brothers Rino and Nando, as a small artisanal workshop in San Mauro Pascoli, a town in the Province of Forlì-Cesena.[1] The company initially produced affordable heeled sandals for tourists visiting the Romagnola Riviera.[3][4]

During the 1970s, Casadei launched its first advertising campaigns, began exporting to Japan, and in 1977 opened its first single-brand store in Brussels.[3]

Quinto and Flora's son, Cesare Casadei (born 1962), joined the family business in 1987 and formally became creative director in 1994.[5] In 2010, Casadei participated for the first time in Milan Fashion Week and opened new stores in Rome, Cannes, Dubai, Casablanca, and New York.[3] In November 2015, Cesare Casadei and architect Marco Costanzi unveiled a new concept store format in Rome and Milan, and a new boutique in Mayfair, London.[3]

In 2011–2012, Cesare Casadei introduced the Blade heel: a stiletto made of hardened stainless steel, engineered to be razor-thin yet structurally sound.[6][7] The Blade was designed to be recognizable without a logo.[8]

In 2015, the brand launched "Casadei Blade Bespoke," an exclusive customization service available through Harrods in London.[9] In 2022, for the Blade's tenth anniversary, Casadei released a limited run of 1,000 wearable NFT shoes, designed with Web3 firm Another-1 and presented on the metaverse platform Decentraland in a project called "Casadei 3.0."[10] In February 2020, during Milan Fashion Week, Casadei introduced the C-Chain, a graphic motif composed of two reversed letter "C"s linked by a ring to form a chain.[11][12]

In January 2023, Arianna Casadei, daughter of Cesare and granddaughter of the founders, was appointed CEO and General Manager, representing the third generation of family leadership.[8][4] Under her leadership, the company targeted revenues of 30 million euros for 2023, having recorded 20 percent sales growth in 2022.[8][13][14][15]

Collaborations

In 2019, as part of Italian sole manufacturer Vibram's #WHYVIBRAM initiative, the two companies produced a high-performance technical sneaker reinterpreted through Casadei's aesthetic.[16] That same year, Casadei also partnered with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a programme of the United Nations' International Trade Centre, to produce a capsule collection for Spring/Summer 2020 involving weavers from Burkina Faso.[17] In 2023, under the direction of General Manager Arianna Casadei, the brand produced a capsule collection of 24 sustainable tote bag models in 100% recycled yarn for Agora, the green boutique of the Six Senses resort complex in Ibiza.[18]

In 2025, Casadei collaborated with designer Alessandro Enriquez for the Spring/Summer 2026 season, producing a capsule collection that combined Casadei's artisanal savoir-faire with Enriquez's pop sensibility.[19][20] Also in 2025, Casadei and New York bridal designer House of Gilles unveiled an exclusive bridal footwear collection, featuring duchess satin pleating, botanical appliqués, and lace embellished with embroidery and crystals, uniting the House of Gilles bridal aesthetic with Casadei's signature silhouettes.[21][22] In the same year, Casadei renewed its partnership with Swiss high-jewelry house Chopard at the Cannes Film Festival for the third consecutive year, presenting custom-made models for the festival's official gala evening.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Quinto Casadei, Founder of Casadei Footwear Label, Dies at 88". Women's Wear Daily. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  2. ↑ "Casadei Introduces NFTs for Blade Heel's 10th Anniversary". Women's Wear Daily. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Casadei". MAM-e Fashion Encyclopedia. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  4. 1 2 "Casadei names Arianna Casadei as general manager". FashionUnited. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  5. ↑ "Meet the Designer: Casadei". The Shoe Archives. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  6. ↑ "The legacy of the Blade heel: style & innovation". Casadei. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  7. ↑ "The Reason Victoria Beckham's Really High Heels Are Comfy to Walk In". Who What Wear. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  8. 1 2 3 "Casadei Appoints Arianna Casadei Chief Executive Officer". Women's Wear Daily. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  9. ↑ "Casadei's Blade heel: a magnificent obsession". High Heels Daily. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  10. ↑ "A Decade Of The Blade: The Story Of Casadei's Iconic Heel". 10 Magazine. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  11. ↑ "Casadei consolida la brand identity". Milano Finanza (in Italian). 20 February 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  12. ↑ Finanza, MF Milano (2026-06-18). "Orologeria svizzera, export in lieve ripresa a maggio ma la Cina (-21%) frena la crescita | MilanoFinanza News". MF Milano Finanza (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  13. ↑ "Arianna Casadei takes over the management of luxury shoe manufacturer Casadei". FashionNetwork. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  14. ↑ US, FashionNetwork com (2023-01-23). "Arianna Casadei takes over the management of luxury shoe manufacturer Casadei". FashionNetwork.com. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  15. ↑ Russo-Bah, Lily. "Women Who Win: Arianna Casadei on modernising a heritage luxury brand". Marie Claire UK. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  16. ↑ "Casadei Dynamic powered by Vibram: la sneaker dall'anima active". Amica (in Italian). 25 March 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  17. ↑ "Milano Fashion Week 2019: scarpe Casadei Ethical Society". Vogue Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  18. ↑ "Casadei realizza le sue prime borse green per Agora Ibiza". Milano Finanza (in Italian). 7 July 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  19. ↑ "Casadei Has A Delicious Capsule Strawberry Collection With Alessandro Enriquez For Summer 2026". SEELE. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  20. ↑ Benjamin, Mark (2025-11-09). "Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 Shoe Spotlight". RAIN Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  21. ↑ Rodriguez, Karla (2025-04-08). "Casadei and House of Gilles Team Up for a Bespoke Bridal Footwear Collection". WWD. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  22. ↑ Royce, Aaron (2025-04-09). "House of Gilles & Casadei Fêted Their Glam Shoe Collaboration At The Carlyle Hotel". Daily Front Row. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  23. ↑ "Casadei per lo show Haute Couture di Chopard". Crisalide Press (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-01-01.
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