Mr. Sarto easily understood that shoes and fashion were to be his life’s work. He was born in 1949 in Dolo, in the outskirts of Venice. An apprentice craftsman by age 14, Mr. Sarto sought work in a shoe factory where he sat on a stool, hand-lasting shoes with hammer and nail. By his early twenties, he moved to Stra—the epicenter of Italian shoe design— and opened a design studio. By 1990, he was able to launch his namesake line. It is Mr. Sarto’s start as a cobbler and his vision as a designer that made him a rarity in the business: he designed his shoes both with the skill of a craftsman and the passion of an artist. His effortless style carries through in every shoe that bears his name, and continues to enchant women around the world. His shoes are, in a word, bella!
