One Step at Time

We speak to Edgardo Osorio, founder of luxury footwear brand Aquazzura, on his vision of comfort and glamour, from weddings to world stages

- Sim Wie Boon

In the world of luxury footwear, few brands have captivated the imagination of fashion enthusiasts like Aquazzura. At the helm is Edgardo Osorio, the Colombian-born, Miami-raised visionary who launched the label in 2011 with a mission to create beautiful yet comfortable shoes that allow women to dance the night away.

“I started Aquazzura after attending 12 weddings one summer and constantly hearing complaints about sore feet,” Osorio shares. “I realised there was a gap for sexy, well-crafted shoes you could actually enjoy wearing.” His solution combined Italian craftsmanship with a vibrant, modern aesthetic, reflecting his globetrotting life path.

With stops in London, Miami, and his birthplace of Colombia, Osorio’s multicultural perspective shapes Aquazzura’s design philosophy. “Everything I create is informed by my life and my travels. From growing up partly in the United States, where you have this sense of practicality, to embracing the Latin in me, which is about the joy of life, colour and beauty. It’s also a very European thing, this constant joy of finding something beautiful and keeping traditions,” he explains. A self-proclaimed design omnivore, Osorio gleans inspiration from contemporary art, vintage textiles, and the local artisans he encounters, incorporating their techniques into his work.