[00:00:02] Speaker A: The Michael Hatfield Re Max team presents real estate and more.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: Bay Area real estate is different than in all of America. And why? What's up with homebuyers? What's on sellers minds? How is the market and much, much more.
[00:00:18] Speaker A: Now here's your host, Michael Hatfield.
[00:00:21] Speaker B: Welcome back to the real estate and more show. And I'm so glad you're with us today on the show. Today we're talking about one of the premier men's shoe manufacturers, manufacturers known in our fashion world. Interesting is how the company came into existence, how the amazing style of the shoes comes about today and history of it. Then legacy with the founder's designer daughter taking over the reins of the company sometime soon. On the show, we have Belvedere Shoes founder's daughter, the heiress to Belvedere's top job. And she is a wonderful lady and she's a delightful person. And she's going to share some of the huge effort that goes into designing, building and putting together and manufacturing and marketing Belvedere high quality men's footwear. We have an exciting show planned. Welcome to the show, Bella Francesca Giovagini.
[00:01:18] Speaker C: Hi, Michael. Good morning. Thank you for having me.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: It's certainly my pleasure.
So I start today with a quote. By reading a quote, it came to me. I found it very interesting. It says, it is my wish, my vision to design for the moving eye, because to me, everything is art. And art isn't something just to be seen, but something that instead is to be felt. Who wrote that?
[00:01:48] Speaker C: I did, actually, when I was launching my jewelry brand about five years ago.
[00:01:55] Speaker B: Wow. And that brand is?
[00:01:57] Speaker C: It's Lunica.
[00:01:58] Speaker B: Lunica.
[00:01:59] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Yeah. You did really well with that longest time. And then Pop said, you know, I need some help with my business, and you take what you've learned there and move it over to Belvedere. You've designed some of the most beautiful jewelry pieces for women. They talk about it all the time, the ladies that have been fortunate enough to have some of it. And I've kept Nancy away from it because she definitely made me buy some of it. Tell us about Lunaca. Tell us what you did there and design of the jewelry and how that all works.
[00:02:31] Speaker C: It came after a very difficult time in my life. It was about five years ago. I was hit by a drunk driver in LA, where I was living at the time.
And I was working at BCBG as one of their knitwear designers. And unfortunately, after the accident, I had to move back home because of medical reasons, which left me partially blind in my right eye. And so through my healing, my mother, my angel, my guardian, everything, all the things her and I designed in my garage together. And it was a way of my healing. It was a way of expressing myself. It was a way of coping with what was going on in such a dark time and being able to create something so beautiful. And so where you see, you know, it's not. It's my vision. It's my wish, because during that time, that was taken from me. And so I wanted to create something that came from my heart, that I could see on another woman and make her feel beautiful.
And it's been the ethos of my brand, it's been the breath of my creation, and to be able now to move forward and do the same thing with my dad, because I did. I was presented with an opportunity a year ago to make a change, to take on the family business. And it came at a beautiful moment, because I think it was very God driven for me to enter this role.
And it's been a blessing so far to use what I have learned and to work alongside my dad in a way that brings a little bit of life and freshness to something that he's been able to create so beautifully on his own for the last 35 years. So it's remarkable.
[00:04:17] Speaker B: Wow. So talking about creating, my gosh, the work that goes into designing, creating in your mind what a men's footbit wear would look like before it happens, and then making the orders that are large nowadays, it just seems like so much goes into it. And your background as the El Hetha of Lunica has to really play in there. And, of course, your family's always been in business for a long time. It just seems it's got to be just a wonderful endeavor and a marriage made.
[00:04:53] Speaker C: Yes. I mean, it really does. I think mitre very beautifully. I studied in London for a summer semester in fashion design at one of the top schools at central St. Martin's, which really was the catalyst to my changing from business to design. And it's opened the floodgates to my creation. I typically consider myself a little bit more of a conceptual, avant garde thinker, because I think it stems a lot from the emotional point of view. And so there's a story behind my creation, not just designing a pair of earrings or a well made men's leather bottom dress shoe. It's what story am I creating for this piece? And then how am I going to sell that afterwards? Because it's not just a product.
It's a story. It's my vision. It's a way of connecting with people in a way that I think we've gotten a little far off. And so when you look at old fashioned designers that are walking the Runway and all the concepts and creation, theatrical, it's beautiful. It's an art. It's in its expression, it's a way of non verbally communicating with the world. And I'm trying to do that through all my pieces, whether it's jewelry or shoes. And doing it with my dad now, it's been a blessing, and I'm very thankful.
[00:06:09] Speaker B: It was pretty good blessing, starting with your mom, with Lunica, and then now with Pop. And he's an exceptional businessman. He has a lot of on the ball to take a something from nothing and create Belvedere to where it is today. And I just have to admire that like crazy. I just. I just have a lot of respect for you and your family for doing this. And now, not traditionally as it is with Italians, it's usually the first son that steps up and makes it happen. In this family, it's first daughter, three daughters.
[00:06:46] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: Well, not the oldest. You're the middle.
[00:06:48] Speaker C: I'm the middle one, yes.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: And it's still not traditional for a daughter to step up and take the reins of pop's business. But things do change, and they've changed in a wonderful way to have you available to do something like that.
[00:07:03] Speaker C: Yes. I mean, I feel, you know, a huge responsibility, too, because what a shame would it be if one of us didn't take on that role? You know? So there's a legacy that we are that I believe is important to our family and the role that I need to step into.
[00:07:23] Speaker B: Francesca, can you share with us how Belvedere men's footwear, men's shoes began the story?
[00:07:30] Speaker C: So I love my dad's story because my dad was in the italian air force. That was his dream. That's what he thought he was gonna do forever.
And unfortunately, they stationed him somewhere that they weren't allowed to bring his family, and he didn't want to be apart from my mother and my older sister at the time, and they were living in Florence. So he uprooted himself from Florence here to chase the american dream with $1,500, didn't speak a word of English, had to take on forklifting jobs, you know, very low income jobs, just to support the family. And then this, you know, it's just like a little mustard seed that gets planted in your mind, and then it blossoms into something so beautiful. That's exactly what happened with Belvedere he fell into a role that met the right person at the right time, was able to produce shoes out of Italy and so he was still able to have his roots be shown through his work. And so I think that was a big moment for him to be able to design and import italian shoes into the US, which at that time was a booming industry and it was. I wish I was around to see it, but I've heard a lot of really great stories.
[00:08:44] Speaker B: So he started designing shoes himself?
[00:08:46] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:08:47] Speaker B: Wow. Yeah, I don't think I would have that ability.
[00:08:49] Speaker C: You know, sometimes you just get these God gifted talents that you don't even know you have. You mean he flew polite, you know, planes, he was jumping out of airplanes and now all of a sudden he's designing men's shoes. So it's sometimes when things are meant to be, they happen the way that they're supposed to. So it's been incredible.
[00:09:06] Speaker B: Sure can relate to that. Well, let's talk about the creation of a new shoe. How does that start? Where does it start? What happens? Give us a breakdown on the design process of what you go through to build the shoe and then we can talk about marketing after if you want to.
[00:09:23] Speaker C: So I feel like I'm always in design mode. It's something that's just woven into the tapestry of me, but basically what our process is. And now that it's me and my dad, we're both very opinionated.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: We're going to take a short break.
[00:09:38] Speaker B: We'll be right back. Remax. And here's Michael Hatfield.
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[00:10:29] Speaker D: Get help with buying or selling by calling the Michael Hatfield remax support team at 1800 857.
That's 1800 857 63.
[00:10:39] Speaker A: And now back to our show.
[00:10:43] Speaker C: But we work very well together. You know, I think there's this refreshing aspect of old and new views that we can bring together. And you know, first and foremost it's who are we designing for? And right now our industry has seen a little bit of a shift. You know, I think the economy being the way that it is and inflation being so high, how many people are actually spending a lot of money on, you know, shoes or fashion articles. And so we really now have to have educated conversations about, you know, unique value propositions of not just the design of it being beautiful and elaborate, but we have to consider price and, you know, economically friendly products and materials, high quality products. We don't want to sacrifice those things.
And so all of that falls into place, which has been a little bit different for me than when I was creating for Lunica. Lunica was the art. It was the creation. It was, you know, the, the whimsical fairy tale version of my creation. But Belvedere, it's a consumer product that I think right now in the market, we have to be really cautious of what we put out because, you know, price is important. Competitive competitors are all around us now. And so when we design, we design for the everyday man, the man who wants to look well, be comfortable in his shoes, take his wife out to dinner, you know, and I have this vision of creating the modern day gentleman, bringing that back to life. You know, we've gotten so comfortable in our ways, and men are in flip flops. Flip flops and tennies everywhere we go.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Not that there's anything wrong with that.
[00:12:20] Speaker C: No, not at all. But, you know, when you think about just elevating yourself slightly, you take your wife out to a beautiful dinner and you put on a nice dress shoe. It doesn't have to be uncomfortable. It doesn't need that break in period. You don't have to take it to a cobbler to put on heel caps. You know, you can go out and feel good and look good because that's the one of our biggest things with Belvedere. It's, we are known for our fashion and our comfort, and we pride ourselves in that.
[00:12:43] Speaker B: Absolutely. You know, one thing that comes to mind, Henry Kaiser said once, he said, find, I think it was Henry Kaiser, he says, find a need and then fill it. And see, I see that you're enveloping that on initial stages of your design process. So you're not going to design a shoe that no one's going to buy but is so beautifully a piece of art. And I think that's a really great place to start, is find that need and fill it.
I have to applaud you for that. And I have to say also listeners in the audience, that the Belvedere brand is really good. I have a couple pairs, and I was with a doctor one time out to have a drinks and appetizers, and he looks down and he sees these shoes, and his eyes got real big, and he says, I want those. I want those. And he said, I bet that they're. The soles are not very good soles. I said, no, take a look. So he had me lifting my leg at the table, looking at the soles of the shoes to make sure that they were really high quality leather, which they are.
[00:13:50] Speaker C: A beautiful shoe can make a head turn, no problem. One of my uncles actually wears, he's our fit model for Belvedere.
So every season we sit with all our shoes, and he tries them on. And this is his words, not mine. So he would say, if I know that I'm going out walking for an extended period of time, I will wear belvederes over an athletic shoe. Because of the insole and the technology we put into our footwear, going slightly onto marketing, that is a new direction that we're trying to take to educate people of the construction of the shoe, that it might look beautiful, and it is beautiful, but it's the inner parts of the shoe and the inner makings of the shoe that really will keep a person wearing it and coming back. And so now we just have to tell that story. So I agree. I mean, I don't have a pair, but I'm sure I've heard they're very comfortable.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: I think that's a great example. I have a buddy that I walk with, and he walks us with his Belvederes, and of course, I'm gonna have to try it, but I don't want to mess him up, because I want to take the wife out for a nice dinner, and I want to look more gentlemanly than normal instead of my kick around shoes and such. But he walks with them and says they're very, very comfortable. That's pretty interesting. So back at the beginning on the marketing, you take into account what the marketplace is, what you feel that the market will buy. And we're talking about the men's footwear market, not just in America, but all over the world. Correct.
[00:15:21] Speaker C: So we import from Italy and Mexico and Brazil. Those are our bigger manufacturers, but our clientele is all over the nation. We do have a few accounts in Europe as well, but our bigger consumers happen here in the US. And so we pride ourselves in, you know, producing shoes for the everyday man. You know, people like me. Yeah, people like you.
[00:15:47] Speaker B: My everyday kind of guys.
[00:15:48] Speaker C: I love it. I go around and I look down, and there's moments, because we do have our higher, elevated shoes, which, you know, cost anywhere between $800 to $1,200. But then we have our $100 to $200 mark. You know, we really have a spectrum of shoes that we are trying to appease to everybody. But we don't sacrifice quality. We don't sacrifice, you know, our labor costs because we have artisans working hard for our shoes, and we. We want to continue to support them and their artistry and what they're creating because it's not just, you know, like some other countries may produce mass production worth of shoes. We do a little bit more artisanal, curated collections, and we pride ourselves in those.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: Fantastic. You can actually go to men's warehouse and buy these, too, correct?
[00:16:37] Speaker C: Yes, yes.
[00:16:38] Speaker B: And a few other stores that are brick and mortar stores.
[00:16:41] Speaker C: Yeah. Men's warehouse, Joseph a. Banks, Dillard's.
We're working on a bunch of new because we're launching studio Belvedere, which is our a little bit more boutique line, which we'll be launching in the new year. We are showcasing a few of the new designs on Belvedere's website under the studio drop bar, where you can see some of our new formal sneakers and our new hybrids, because hybrids is important. And going back on the conversation of taking your wife out and wearing a shoe that you can still feel comfortable in, these hybrid like shoes kind of merge the whole sneaker and dress casual look together again, not sacrificing comfort, because we emphasize on that. So, yeah, for brick and mortar, Menswearhouse has been one of our bigger accounts, I think. Oh, I know. My father was the first vendor that worked with Menswearhouse when they first launched.
So talk about heritage and storytelling. It's incredible, and we're still going strong, and it's a blessing.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: Francesca, where did the name Belvedere come from?
[00:17:43] Speaker C: So my dad's from Florence, and as you know, or may not know, there's a fort there that has the most beautiful panoramic views, and it's a beautiful view. Belvedere is a beautiful view. And my father is a proud Fiorentino Mandev, you know, but he's also a proud american man. And so he wants to bring his hometown here, and he wants people, when wearing them, to be reminded of the beauty of Italy. It's his way of keeping it close to his heart and bringing it here to a country that he loves tremendously.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Way back in another life, when I was with the airline, you would fly Florence, I would fly Florence. And I remember the Forta de Belvedere, and it's a very beautiful place to be. Now I understand that Belvedere actually means beautiful sight. Is that true?
[00:18:31] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Do you speak Italian?
[00:18:34] Speaker C: It was my first language.
And I think now that because I was born here, I get a little nervous speaking it. But if you put me in Italy after two weeks, it's something I just start dreaming in and it just, it opens the floodgates a little bit for me. So. But to answer your question, yes, I do. I understand it completely. I just get a little nervous speaking it.
[00:18:56] Speaker B: Well, I don't know. I just try to communicate, been all over the world with different countries, and if you try to communicate, you find that you have a better relationship with people. If they just see that you're trying to talk the language. And if they're ridiculously not nice people, then maybe not. So we're going to take a short break. We'll be right back.
[00:19:22] Speaker D: Welcome to the real estate minute with re Max expert Michael Hatfield. Michael, what traits should we look for in selecting an agent?
[00:19:29] Speaker A: Look for a deal maker with a positive attitude who will work tirelessly for you. An agent who is adept in multiple offer situations, drafting contracts, marketing and advertising. A client's home is familiar with multiple cultures, experienced in mortgage financing, inspections and escrow is a huge asset to his client.
[00:19:50] Speaker D: What can you do as a plus for clients?
[00:19:52] Speaker A: Your agent is your eyes and your ears, one who works behind the scenes on your behalf, a great attitude, working well with others and keeping clients priorities. Number one is a given for us.
[00:20:03] Speaker D: Call 925-32-2775 now to schedule an appointment or complimentary home analysis. For excellence in real estate, call the Michael Hatfield remax team at 925-32-2775 or go to michael hatfieldhomes.com dot.
[00:20:19] Speaker B: Now back to our show. But generally, if you say, you know, good morning and things like that and you just start talking, it's very productive to building a little relationship.
[00:20:32] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely.
[00:20:33] Speaker B: I can see what you're saying. So you've been listening to the real estate and more show. We're speaking with Belvedere Shoes vice president Francesca Joe Vacchini. We were talking about how to manufacture these shoes that they make that are so high quality and her career as a business person, an art person, a designer. So let's get back to our valued guest.
So in your opinion, what really sets those shoes apart from other manufacturers that we see today?
[00:21:07] Speaker C: I think our biggest difference is the comfortability within our shoe. We have eight millimeter cushion insoles and we use this technology to create comfort throughout the insole of the foot.
There's longevity there, there's quality materials. So it's important for us to emphasize that and we want to continue with that and make it be known for our customers because we've been really known as a wholesaler. And so when you are only doing private label, the brand story gets a little washed out. And so now as we step into the direct to consumer market, the brand pillars, our foundation, what we design on is important to tell. And so, you know, comfort, quality, that's really what we pride ourselves in.
[00:22:07] Speaker B: Well, it seems like dad has really leveraged the initial success into something that is significant. So now I know that with older vintages of wine, we're a little bit different than the younger wines that come and are bottled and so forth. So I can see that. But his way of doing business, the methodology, the procedures that he uses, probably a little different than yours, how would you say that they would be?
[00:22:34] Speaker C: I love this because my dad and I are very different in many ways, but we are very compatible as well. So my dad is a very pick up the phone, get things done. It needs to be done yesterday, it can't be done tomorrow, you know? And then here I am writing out my very thought out business plans and emails to construct flow of communication. And I think the fact that we blend our ideologies together, we really are creating a harmonious way of working together. And surprisingly, we're working quite beautifully together and I think we parallel each other nicely.
[00:23:12] Speaker B: Don't you really think that it takes a little bit of both?
[00:23:15] Speaker C: I think so.
[00:23:16] Speaker B: You got to have the business plans, you got to have the interpersonal skills. And picking up that phone for me is just, I love it so much more than.
We're bombarded with emails, text messages all day long.
We usually have somewhere between 300 and 450 emails a day. And so you've got those to review and then you have the text messages and then if something really needs to be done timely. And there's that older guy thing right there, you see?
[00:23:50] Speaker C: And I love that.
[00:23:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Then I pick up the phone. That's just what I do. So I can see Stefano being that way and the daughter being much more calculated and being more artful than dad. I think you've got more of an art nature to you and being really good at designing and really good at those kind of things. I think the two blend together perfectly. I know. You never argue though, right?
[00:24:17] Speaker C: We try not to.
No promises can be made. But it's all from love. It's all from love.
Are there new lines out come January. Which is our better leather shoes? Which are the shoes that you can find at men's warehouse or Joseph a. Banks or Dillard's? We now, as we enter into this, like, new initiative, we want to go direct to consumer. So we're going to create a website, but again, you can shop it at our Belvedere shoes.com to preview a little bit of what we're doing there.
[00:24:49] Speaker B: Oh, I know. Everybody should really take a look at what is to offer on that website. It's just amazing. So do you have plans going forward that just make you feel so excited to be getting up every day and knowing that you're going to maybe make a change here, make a change there and so excited to see the results of what they may be, doesn't that just really excite you? Give you that adrenaline like does me just to think about it?
[00:25:18] Speaker C: So before I'm an entrepreneur, before I'm a designer, before I'm any of those things, I'm my father's daughter. And so waking up every morning and going to work and working alongside my dad has been the one thing that truly gets me up and gets me excited. And there's a part of me that wishes I did it sooner.
But, you know, I can't look back on life. I had to go through my own experiences. I had to go through Lunica. I had to go through my business experiences to get to where I am. And so now where we are waking up every morning and going to work with my dad, that's the excitement for me. Because every day is a new. Every day is a new struggle. You're always thrown into something that we have to figure out, problem solving left and right. But doing it with my dad for the first time, to me, really is the biggest reward.
But to answer your question, I think, you know, with a new initiative launching with Bell Studio line, you know, this was my dad's baby Belvedere. And so with me coming on board and launching a little bit of a division that's a little bit more boutique and curated with intention, not to say the other ones weren't, but a little bit more of my voice is going to be through this. And we're going, again, direct to consumer. We're telling the brand story that gets me excited because I believe in what we're doing. I believe in our story. I believe in the legacy that my father has created or will continue to create.
And then I have little stories with my nieces saying, one day we're gonna work with you, Francesca. One day, we're going to be designing with you. I want this office. It's giving my nieces something to dream about, too.
That's all I can hope for and wish for, and I thank God for that, because where we are really as a family, that's what gets me up every morning.
[00:27:11] Speaker B: Isn't that phenomenal? You know, one of the things I have to mention is that Francesca's mother is an artist as well, and I've seen some of her paintings. I've seen some of her artwork. That is incredibly impressive.
[00:27:24] Speaker C: Yeah. She is the most incredible woman, artistry and human ever.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: It's just wonderful to see a business that has the whole family involved and doing such a wonderful job of it. And I'm glad to hear that you're going to be going direct to consumer from a marketing standpoint with a new type of boutique concept, so to speak. It's using the new ideas to enhance the old, and I can see that it's going to be extremely successful. Would you like to leave our audience with any thoughts of you and what you plan to do, what you like to do?
[00:28:05] Speaker C: I think it's just continuing to breathe life into what my father has created all these years.
You know, one piece of advice that I have gotten from people very close to me is listen, you know, learn, because what he's been able to do after all these years is valuable. And so rather than coming in and trying to change things, it's working together to blend both his way of doing and my way of thinking and being able to create something beautiful, you know? And yes, shoes might not always be beautiful, but they are the. There's still an essence of creation that happens in even a shoe. And I just want to continue to carry on that legacy. I want my dad to be proud of where his company's going, and I think that's all a daughter can really hope for.
[00:29:03] Speaker B: Wow. Family means a lot, doesn't it?
[00:29:06] Speaker C: Means everything.
[00:29:08] Speaker B: So if you love quality and style artwork on your feet for Mendez, think about giving Belvedere a chance. Thank you for being on the show. Top rainmaker Francesca Giovacchini, artist and businesswoman.
[00:29:23] Speaker C: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:29:25] Speaker B: I'm so glad you tuned in today. It's been a pleasure speaking with men's Belvedere shoes manufacturer top executive Francesca Giovacchini. Thank you for being on the show. And you've been listening to the real estate and more show, more about. More this show than real estate, but it's. It's always fun. Please go to our YouTube channel at my realtalkshow. That's at myrealtalkshowoutoutube.com. touch the subscribe, then the like button. We hope you tune in next Saturday or Sunday for our next show and have a very blessed week.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: Please remember to go to our new YouTube handle my real talk show. That's my real talk
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