It¡¯s easy to miss Hidetaka Fukaya¡¯s bespoke shoemaking shop in the heart of Florence. ¡°Il Micio¡± lurks in a narrow street in a tangle of other narrow streets, as if unwilling to call attention to itself. Just like a cat. And that¡¯s fitting because Fukaya, recently named among Italy¡¯s 100 best artisans by the Italia Su Misura website, takes his inspiration from feline elegance and independence ¡ª and, in fact, named his shop after the Italian word for kitty-cat.
¡°The cat is among the most beautiful creatures on Earth, both in form and movement,¡± Fukaya says. ¡°And they don¡¯t try to curry favor. The most important thing for me is to make customers happy, but as a craftsman it¡¯s important to maintain my freedom of expression.¡±
It¡¯s a philosophy that has helped Fukaya win respect and accolades in Italy¡¯s secretive world of master craftsmen, with roots in Medieval guilds, in a city that is notorious for being one of the country¡¯s most insular.
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