1893-1977
Andre Perugia was born in Nice, France in 1893 of Italian parentage. He trained in his father's workshop and at the age of 16, in 1909, he opened a shop in Paris where he sold handmade shoes. He later moved to Rue Faubourg St. Honore, where all the fashion designers had their salons. During World War I, he spent some time in a plane factory as an engineer.
After World War I, he made shoes for fashion designer Paul POIRET, and it was through his association with the world-famous couturier that his success was assured.
Among his clients in the 20's were stars of the Folies Bergere and movie actresses who wanted shoes that epitomized the glamour of the stage. Perugia did not disappoint them. He transformed Josephine Baker's trademark turban into a quilted kidskin sandal and he fashioned black lace heels for movie siren Gloria Swanson. His commissioned shoes began to acquire the character of 3-dimensional portraits.
Always eager to experiment with new materials, shapes and textures, Perugia continued to create shoes of startling originality throughout a 50 year association with I. Miller and then with Charles Jourdan. He was known to talk to his shoes, so he earned a reputation as an eccentric as well as a genius.
He wrote a book "From Eve to Rita Hayworth" in which he said that the way to unveil a woman's personality was to study her feet.
Perugia made shoes in homage to several distinguished artists. His fish pump of 1931, made of overlaid kid with decorative "scales" is a tribute to George Braque, the French cubist artist. In 1950, he made a "homage to Picasso" sandal which seems to be floating in the air.
He worked for many fashion designers such as Jacques FATH and GIVENCHY. In the 30's he also made some witty shoes for Elsa SCHIAPARELLI such as this buttoned boot with scalloped edges from 1939.
Andre Perugia said "a pair of shoes must be perfect, like an equation and adjusted to the millimeter like a motor piece." His ode to industry, in 1950, celebrating the machine age, has a "rosette" gear and a heel of twisted steel. The second shoe from 1952, with the wizardry of a corkscrew may have stemmed from his time as an engineer in a plane factory during World War I.
Trompe L'Oeil (fool the eye) shoes, create the illusion that the wearer is suspended in midair. Perugia was the first to experiment with a heel-less heel in 1937.
He continued to design and supply his wonderful shoes throughout the 40's, 50's and 60's.
He retired in 1970 and died in 1977, aged 84.
Apres Midi(W)