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| Andre Perugia 1930s |
"Andre Perugia was born in Nice, France in 1893. He came from a long line of Italian shoemakers. Perugia made shoes for famous designer Paul Poiret, and it was through Poiret that he was introduced to Parisian society and opened his first boutique in 11 Rue du Faubourg St. Honore, Paris. Perugia soon became famous for his craft.
In 1927, Andre Perugia traveled to New York, where he was celebrated by high society for his shoe designs. In 1933, Perugia created the brand Padova, which was exclusively distributed in the United States by Saks Fifth Avenue. Perugia is one of the early pioneers of modern high heel shoe styles. During the 1920s, his list of clients included Queen Elizabeth, Eva Peron, and movie actresses as Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, and Pola Negri, not to mention famous Josephine Baker. Perugia also made very high fetish shoes with extreme 6 to 7 inch stiletto heels for the famous French singer Mistinguett in 1948. He also made high and very narrow heels as early as 1930.
Perugia constantly challenged preconceived notions of what a shoe could be and was amazingly inventive in pushing the boundaries of shoe design. He also worked with other great fashion designers such as Jaques Fath, Hubert Givenchy, Madame Vionnet, Madame Gres, Christian Louboutin, Coco Chanel, and Pierre Balmain. In the 1930s, he also made witty shoes for Elsa Schiaparelli. Andre Perugia made slippers and pumps that resemble high-heeled shoes with no heels that defy the law of gravity."
