Focus
A special interview
Who is there behind Mario Doni?
“Behind Mario Doni there is not only a person but first of all an idea, the idea to make customer protagonist.”
In this way, starts my interview to Paola Venzi, the woman who twenty years ago with her husband had this idea. Tuscans and passionate in art and craft, they worked in a factory where they produced very poor product, but in a large quantity. One day, they thought to change direction : they began to realize a few products with big value. Even if today main product is Sandal, they started with men shoes, realized how customers wanted.

How did you get to do sandals?
“For a mockery of fate there was an unwanted change. The man who taught us to make these shoes gave up and for a little time everything stopped. Then the change was the trasformation of the offer: not shoes, but sandals. The start was slow, but the feedback was positive and visible. We started with four models or four variants of one, but then we realized that we could dare and begin to add some models. We made attempts, almost like a game and we experienced new forms.”
How did Mario Doni change from the beginning to today?
“It’s not easy to find the perfect union between idea, moment and possibility, but we always tried to go on. Today we have a collection of men, women and children sandals and one of clogs, so we can be very satisfied, because all our sacrifices were useful for the excellent result.”
Do you have any regrets?
“We don’t have regrets, because all we couldn’t do in the past, we are trying to do it now. Mario Doni keeps up the date, because the leather processing changes and there are always innovations in this sector. So, we tried to add new products, but the quality rests at the first place.”
At the end I ask to Paola if she has a dream for the Mario Doni’s future.
“I’d like to do mine each product. Add more articles to create a stylistic line, so customer could combine the sandal with the appropriate accessory. Guarantee to the customer a uniform style, a timeless style inspired by the past.”
Antonella Sansone
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