“This shoe is made of an elaborate suede leather. The basis for this leather is white suede. The tanner soaks the leather in tanning drums filled with blue and taupe-coloured dye. The leather hides are kept in there for a short time, so they won’t take on the colour through and through. The core of the leather remains white while the outside is completely blue and taupe. The leather is then embossed with a croco relief pattern. After polishing the leather, the white core of the suede becomes visible on the top layers of the croco relief. Epic leather tanning! Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to compliment the Tuscan tanner on this. He sees compliments as a gross insult. Whenever I do accidentally compliment him, he’ll face me with his two hands held in that typical Italian way. With his thumbs pressed against his index and middle fingers, he pulls up his shoulders and says “èh, èh!”. What he means by that is: “What are you even talking about? Everything we do is perfect!”