Alexander Hotto: a glimpse into the future starting from our own roots

How did the Alexander Hotto brand start? Where does your passion for shoewear come from?
The brand Alexander Hotto started within the family business GAL.MEN s.r.l., founded by Alessandro Melchiorri in 1955. Alessandro, who came from a family of farmers, became passionate about shoes and craftsmanship as a young man and started to work as a cobbler. With his girlfriend and soon-to-be wife Gina’s help, he crowned his dream to start his own company and brand, which at the time was known as “Alessandro Melchiorri”. This dream of his was then shared by his sons Giampietro and Lucio who, today, run the company with the same passion as their parents and who, in turn, are paving the way for a third generation. Alexander Hotto started in 2003 to give life to shoes which are traditional, but also innovative and in line with changing times and trends. The company keeps the name of its founder Alessandro, but with a modern and cosmopolitan twist. Giampietro and Lucio wanted to keep part of the Alessandro Melchiorri’s brand classic and refined nature, while giving the products an original and dynamic touch.

Which was the first pair of shoes you designed?
The first pair of Alexander Hotto was designed in a classic and elegant fashion, giving importance to two key things: comfort and class. At the time we didn’t have a Style Departement which could work on the brand, but then we managed to have everything in-house and we pushed, especially in the last few years, Alexander Hotto towards a more temporary and strong style, while staying true to our keywords: comfort and class.

What’s the greatest satisfaction you’ve had with your brand?
Our greatest satisfaction has been to create a brand (two brands, to be precise, with Primabase) which accurately reflect the artisanal values of made in Italy products, and not just because they are made in Italy, but because of the craftsmanship there is in each pair of shoes. Moreover, another great satisfaction was to bring Alexander Hotto’s style around the world, starting in Europe (Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria) and going to the rest of the world, including Russia and Australia.

Give us 3 words that describe Alexander Hotto.
Alexander Hotto perfectly combines tradition and innovation. Our slogan is: “Remember yesterday, dream tomorrow, live today”. We must remember our roots and merge them with our dreams; we must live the present with the teachings from the past, but with an eye to the future. Alexander Hotto are elegant and classy shoes which give style and character.

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