What Philippe Model is known for
Paris-founded sneaker and accessories house (1978) started by milliner-turned-shoe-designer Philippe Model, born 1956 in Sens; every pair is still handmade in Italy.
Philippe Model launched his eponymous label in Paris in 1978 at age 22, after building a career as a milliner producing hats for fashion houses including Jean-Paul Gaultier and Claude Montana. Born in 1956 in Sens, southeast of Paris, he had early exposure to leatherwork through his family's tannery. Model decided from the outset that every pair of his shoes would be handmade in Italy rather than France, pairing French design sensibility with Italian shoemaking craft. The brand's breakthrough came in the 1980s with the Elastique, a shoe that became associated with a modern, urban femininity. Philippe Model has since built out a wider accessories and ready-to-wear offering, but its sneakers remain the core of the business.
How ORBIS reads this city
Best for — Italian-made low-top sneakers with couture-milliner roots, Parisian elegance
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Where next
- Ruslan Baginskiy — Global / Online
- Van Palma — Marseille
- Parallèle — Paris
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement