Scarosso Releases Second Nick Wooster Collab as the Italian Footwear Brand Looks to Grow in the US
Scarosso has released its second collaboration with men’s style tastemaker Nick Wooster.
First launched last year with an updated take on the Chelsea boot, Wooster’s newest capsule with the Italian footwear brand adds his twist to a loafer and derby style.
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The Nick Wooster x Scarosso Derby revises the classic silhouette with bold volumes and a chunky rubber lug sole, the same used for the collaboration’s Chelsea boots. The loafer, on the other hand, is done in black calf skin leather as well as in blue or brown suede with a matching sole.
According to Scarosso, drop two explores new materials that come from a more traditional approach to the menswear – medium brown and English green suede.
Wooster echoed this sentiment, noting that he was particularly inspired by suede for this collection. “Suede seems like just the right material at this particular moment,” Wooster tells FN. “The palette represents the colors I think go best with any wardrobe: chocolate, military and navy suede and black book binder leather.”
Courtesy of Scarosso
This launch comes as the direct-to-consumer brand doubles down on its high-profile collaborations, which have included capsules with Lanificio Cerruti, Pietro Boselli, Brian Atwood and Paula Cademartori. The latter two have significantly increased the brand’s women’s business, Gaetano D’Angiulli, brand manager of Scarosso, told FN.
Roughly 70% of Scarosso’s business is still in men’s, but D’Angiulli noted that the brand’s partnerships with Atwood and Cademartori helped them “set the tone” for the women’s collection, as well “add credibility and authority” in the category. “We want to be seen as a legitimate player in luxury footwear, so we choose to work with people that are experts in their field,” D’Angiulli said. “Having Brian design some of our heels and Paula our flats have helped accomplish this goal.”
D’Angiulli added that another part of the brand’s business model is its carryover stock. “Our best-selling shoes are preserved as carryover styles throughout the year,” he said. “We keep these in stock because of the wide range of tastes and preferences of our clients — not to mention the different types of markets we serve; not every style is for every region.”
Courtesy of Scarosso
Another recent development for the brand includes the shift in sales growth from central Europe to the United States. According to D’Angiulli, the U.S. now accounts for 30% of all sales and is growing triple digits month over month and is now the second-largest market for Scarosso. “We are really happy about this growth, as we have typically only seen growth in countries like Germany, Austria, Italy, France and the U.K.,” D’Angiulli told FN. “Our goal now is to bring the U.S. up to at least 50% of our business.”
Asked whether Scarosso would move into wholesale, D’Angiulli said that the brand has received many requests from big department stores and is starting to consider the idea. “If we do it, we will start online with a U.S.-based department store before we distribute into physical stores.”
In the meantime, D’Angiulli teased that a new men’s capsule with the WM Brown Project will launch in October, along with a beautiful campaign shot in Scotland. “We also have two big things coming in 2023 that we are really excited to release.”
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