Why it belongs in ORBIS
Marsell is a Milan-founded (2001) footwear and leather-goods brand made by siblings Roberto, Marco and Elisa Cima, manufactured by hand in ateliers in the Riviera del Brenta, Veneto's traditional shoemaking district.
Marsell was founded in Milan in 2001 by siblings Roberto, Marco and Elisa Cima. While the brand is based in Milan, its shoes are made by hand in the family's ateliers in the Riviera del Brenta area of Veneto, a district long associated with Italian shoe manufacturing.
Marsell's aesthetic runs toward organic, sometimes intentionally distressed leather forms and deconstructed shapes rather than polished, conventional dress shoes. Between 2009 and 2018 the company also ran Marselleria, a multidisciplinary cultural space in Milan (with a period presence in New York) hosting exhibitions and performances, extending the brand's identity into broader design and art programming before it was discontinued.