A Night of Elegance
Events

A Night of Elegance

Milan, 22nd November 2022

Handcrafted with love: Indian and Italian traditions unite beautifully

ViBi Venezia's Milan gathering 

Drawing inspiration from the traditional footwear of Venetian gondoliers, ViBi Venezia's iconic shoes are elevated with SALONI's hand-crafted signature embroidery. The sisters, Viola and Vera Arrivabene, have seamlessly blended their adoration for Venice with their fervor for furlane, culminating in the enchanting world of ViBi Venezia.

"ViBis are always perfect, elegant, and comfortable, beautifully complementing any SALONI dress; we share the values of our brands and the same sensibility for timelessness, colours, and heritage, with a mutual love for each other's creations," says Saloni Lodha.

"Collaborating with Saloni came naturally since we are fans of her dresses," add Viola and Vera Arrivabene. "We are growing our brands in the same direction: creating a strong community of friends of the house and loyal consumers who collect our creations and wear them on different occasions in their everyday life." 

Saloni Lodha, along with sisters Viola and Vera Arrivabene, the co-founders of ViBi Venezia, hosted an intimate gathering in Milan to celebrate their collaboration. The event took place in the private room at Trattoria Toscana Torre di Pisa, a Milanese institution since 1959. Women from the realms of art, design, and media gathered, dressed in SALONI's festive signature creations adorned with embroidered bows, stars, and crescent moons to complement the co-branded capsule collection of velvet slippers. 
SALONI
SALONI
"The Furlane"

The furlana is the quintessential Venetian slipper, with its origins dating back to the XIX century when resourceful women from Friuli crafted footwear using leftover fabrics and old bicycle tires. Legend has it that a family opened a parlor for their scarpez (shoes in Friuli) near the Rialto Bridge, where the friulana quickly became popular among gondoliers. The rubber sole provided a secure grip for rowing while preserving the gondolas' varnish. The fabrics become more precious, and the plethora of colours is enchanting.

“Our mother would dress us in furlane when we were young children, and we would imagine incredible stories: ancestors wondering about town or sneaking around our Palazzo at night. We liked their simple shape, it reminded us of the traditional shoes depicted by Bellini and Carpaccio on the immense paintings we would see in Venice: our parents would have to drag us there on Sunday afternoons as children, today however we cannot wait to visit the museums, galleries or churches as they are source of inspiration, just as much as Venice is.”

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