MILAN — Doucal’s has a new home.
The Italian high-end footwear brand has opened a new store in via Gesù 11 here, unveiling a new interior concept that is set to be the blueprint of its next phase of international expansion.
The company first opened a store a few doors down on the same street in 2014. Yet the relocation to a larger, 1,291-square-foot space with its revamped design, signals an elevation of the brand, following the recent opening of an outpost in Ankara, Turkey.
The Milan store brings the number of Doucal’s flagships to five internationally — it has stores in Paris, Doha and Moscow in addition to Turkey — in addition to branded corners in key department stores worldwide. A network of franchised doors will also be boosted in the coming months. In addition, the brand is stocked in 1,000 wholesale doors across 60 countries, including the likes of Rinascente in Rome and Milan; Harrods in London; KaDeWe in Berlin; Globus in Zurich; Harvey Nichols in Dubai; Beymen in Istanbul; Lane Crawford in Shanghai and Hong Kong; Barneys in Tokyo; Shinsegae in Seoul, and Harry Rosen in Toronto.
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Chief executive officer and creative director Gianni Giannini enthused about the new Milanese space, which will be celebrated with an event on Monday. The opening cocktail party is expected to draw personalities close to the footwear house, including Italian actor Stefano Accorsi and Michelin-starred chef Davide Oldani, a longtime collaborator who in the past also designed a capsule for the brand.
Ditto for the award-winning architectural duo Roberto Palomba and Ludovica Serafini, whose studio Palomba Serafini Associati is behind the new interior concept and who will release a collection of accessories developed with the brand at the upcoming Salone del Mobile in April.
The duo, longtime partners of the brand, delivered a refined yet functional space hinged on clean lines and the juxtaposition of dense textures and lightweight elements. As a result, the aesthetic is dominated by the warm tones of walnut wood furniture with rounded details; light gray walls creating a neutral backdrop for the brand’s collections, and mirrored details amplifying the sense of airiness. The brand’s signature “golden cream” color punctuates the interiors through the seats, logoed panels and shoe stands on shelves.
Like the other flagships, Giannini views the new location as a window to enhance the brand’s visibility instead of simply a transactional spot. Looking ahead, he doesn’t plan to increase the number of directly operated stores but to channel investments to support retail partners by boosting the brand’s awareness through marketing activities.
However, Giannini has planned a streak of franchise openings that will see Doucal’s add outposts in Kuwait in May, Beirut in June, Istanbul in September and Dubai to follow. These will complement a strategy of enlarging the brand’s presence at department stores — a move Giannini still believes is instrumental in attracting a wider audience. The brand’s online store is also a focus.
Overall, the goal is to organically grow the company, whose sales in 2024 totaled 30 million euros, 65 percent of which generated outside Italy.
“We forecast to keep growing between 5 and 10 percent every year,” he said, adding, “not more than that because growth has to be well managed, in terms of production, of workforce, of distribution and of customer service, which needs to be adequate for a high-end proposition like ours.”
The brand’s Made in Italy production, sober aesthetics and understated elegance as well as its standing as a low-key, independent, family-run business are among the key assets of the brand. The company’s largest market continues to be Europe, led by Italy and followed by Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
“These are all markets that have always recognized quality and see it distinct from branding. Customers in these countries don’t need more product, they look for brands to connect to in an authentic way,” Giannini said.
In the same way, Doucal’s is growing in the North European markets, drawing the attention of the Scandi clientele that Giannini sees as the future, whereas Asian customers — still largely attracted by major labels and logos — are trickier to win over, according to the executive.
In addition to the push in the Middle East, the company started to dig deeper into the American market last year where it sells online and in Saks Fifth Avenue. “Before 2025, we always looked at the U.S., but never really committed to it. It’s such a complex market, one that doesn’t forget: If you start [on the wrong foot], you get labeled in a way that is hard to change,” Giannini said. “But we’re getting positive feedback. Local customers love Italian brands, especially in footwear, so there’s a big opportunity, particularly for quality products for men.”
A-list celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Hemsworth, Matthew McConaughey, Michael B. Jordan, Matt Damon and Benicio del Toro, who have all worn Doucal’s for public appearances, have further contributed to boost the brand awareness in the market.
Founded in 1973 as a small workshop in Montegranaro — in Italy’s Marche region — the company is best known for combining local craftsmanship with British inspirations in its key designs, which run from more formal double-monk straps and loafers to derbies and clean-shaped sneakers. Prices average around 450 euros.
The men’s offering accounts for 80 to 85 percent of the company’s sales, with the remaining part of the business generated by accessories such as soft leather goods and the more recently introduced women’s collection. The latter is developed with the same approach as the men’s collection. “We will never do bejeweled heels,” he said. “There’s no point in competing with historic footwear brands that are known for their feminine styles…so we bank on sober designs like our loafers, and maximum 1.9 inch-high heels.”
“We believe in being specialized and keep doing what we do best. That’s why we’re not looking to expand in other product categories. We don’t want to be distributors of everything,” Giannini said.
The company, which counts a workforce of 130 employees, will move to new, 75,347-square-foot headquarters recovered from two abandoned factories in its hometown in the summer to further support its expansion.
