There are shoes you wear, and shoes you live in. Guidi boots belong to the latter category: they’re not just accessories, but living objects, destined to evolve along with the person who chooses them.
For over a century, in the heart of Tuscany, Guidi has preserved and renewed the ancient art of tanning, creating footwear that embodies authenticity, craftsmanship, and creative freedom.
It all began in 1896, when Guido Guidi, Giovanni Rosellini, and Gino Ulivo founded the Guidi Rosellini Tannery in Pescia, a small town between Florence and Lucca. In this valley, the tradition of leather tanning dates back to the Middle Ages: it was a land where leather was worked with patience and respect, using natural methods passed down through generations.
Since then, the brand has become synonymous with Tuscan excellence.
Today, under the guidance of the founding family’s descendants, the company continues to produce handcrafted leather and footwear following an unchanged principle: preserving the material in its purest form, allowing it to speak with its imperfections.
“We do not seek perfection, but the truth of the skin.”
— Ruggero Guidi
Each Guidi boot is born from a complex and entirely manual process. From the selection of leathers to the vegetable tanning process, to the final dyeing, each step requires time, experience, and sensitivity.
It all starts with the finest European leathers—often horse, calf, or goat—selected for their thickness, texture, and durability.
The hides are then naturally tanned with vegetable tannins, a slow and sustainable process that can last for weeks.
The result is soft yet dense, elastic, and scented skin that will improve over time.
This is Guidi’s distinctive feature: object dyeing. Instead of dyeing the leather before sewing, as most manufacturers do, the workshop dyes the shoe already assembled.
The result? Deep hues, captivating imperfections, and a worn-in look impossible to replicate.
Each pair is different, unrepeatable, like a work of art.
After dyeing, the boots are slowly dried, hand-shaped, and finished by skilled craftsmen.
The zips, seams, and heels are applied with extreme care, respecting the natural structure of the material.
Each boot is numbered, checked, and finished by hand: no two pairs are identical.
Guidi‘s aesthetic is instantly recognizable: clean lines, solid shapes, exposed zippers, well-proportioned heels, and an unfinished appeal that only gets better with use.
It’s a style that rejects fast fashion to embrace the natural evolution of the material.
The famous 9089V model in black horse leather, with a back zip and 6 cm heel, perfectly represents this philosophy: a balance between strength and femininity, between tradition and contemporary spirit.
In a world dominated by mass production, Guidi represents a silent resistance. Each shoe is a dialogue between artisan and material, between human gesture and nature. Perfection does not exist: only truth, substance, and character.
Guidi doesn’t mass-produce, but rather produces in small quantities. He rejects standardization and celebrates the imperfect materiality of leather, which carries traces of life and time.
This is why its leathers are also used by international designers such as Rick Owens, Boris Bidjan Saberi, and Carol Christian Poell, all attracted by the visual and tactile depth of Guidi materials.
Guidi produces its own leathers internally in the same tannery founded in 1896.
Each shoe is numbered and hand-finished in Tuscany.
Garment dyeing requires up to three days of processing for each batch.
Guidi leathers are also used by cult brands such as Rick Owens and CCP.
Each collection is deliberately limited: production is sustainable and never industrial.
At marinalari.com, you’ll find an exclusive selection of women’s Guidi boots, a symbol of Tuscan craftsmanship and timeless authenticity. Each pair is a small masterpiece of leather and passion, created to evolve with you.
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