USHUU, a brand new footwear line, is on a mission to change the status quo for building elegant, handcrafted sneakers and dress shoes. On Tuesday 23rd May 2017, the brand will officially have launched a Kickstarter campaign to secure the final phase of financial backing it needs to bring its product to market, and turn its hand-crafted footwear dream into a widespread reality.

USHUU was born out of a desire to restore the “Made in Italy” moniker to the meaningful stature it once held. As part of that dedication, USHUU plans to manufacture all of its uniquely designed and eye-catching footwear by hand in the historic region of Montegranaro, Italy.

“Each pair of USHUU shoes are handcrafted and subjected to a rigorous battery of quality control testing at each stage of the production, highlighting the brand’s mantra that true quality should never require compromise,” says Nigel Skeete, Founder and Designer behind USHUU. “Our goal is to demonstrate to contemporary footwear and fashion aficionados that there is still unparalleled quality in choosing hand-crafted products over those that are mass produced, and which continually flood the market.”

The USHUU team draws on more than 40 years of experience designing, manufacturing, and producing fashionable footwear. Their plan does not only include sneakers and hybrids but also dress shoes, all of which marry modern aesthetics with classic artisanship. The brand will create only “small batch” collections of the shoes that will be available in an assortment of styles and colourways for both Men and Women.

Due to USHUU’s extremely strict standards for quality, the company’s search for a suitable manufacturer was long and in-depth. But after months of vetting a number of contenders, the brand has agreed to terms with a small manufacturer willing to comply with the brand’s demanding criteria. After several test runs with manufacturers whose quality demands unfortunately did not match up with our own, USHUU has partnered with a manufacturer that shares our dedication.

“We are now on the cusp of bringing a new kind of luxury shoe to a very discerning yet deeply underserved customer base. To help us take the final steps toward making this dream a reality, we will launch a Kickstarter campaign to both procure our final level of financial support, and introduce the world to our brand.”

USHUU’s debut collection will be called The Black Collection, which Nigel says will feature exclusive offerings that satisfy customer’s needs for both work and play. All shoes will be made from the highest quality Italian leather and suede, with custom features that range from crushed rhinestone to snake-embossed calf hair and more.

Design: Ushuu