The Story of Gladiator Sandals in Capri
If you own a pair of Gladiator Sandals, you are wearing fashion history that began on the island of Capri. It’s rare to know the exact location for the beginning of a world fashion trend and the first person to make the trend famous, but in the case of the Capri sandal, we know both.
The Origin of Capri Gladiator Sandals
Costanzo Ruocco was an apprentice shoemaker in the 1960s when he decided to open a small shop a stone’s throw from the Piazzetta of Capri. Costanzo began his apprenticeship at the age of five after the end of WWII. At the time, Capri was a quiet fishing village, not the global glitterati magnet it is today.
The Gladiator Sandal
Costanzo made all kinds of shoes, but he excelled in the Capri sandal, whose design originated in ancient Rome with the infamous Emperor Tiberius. The design is found in ancient frescoes and paintings throughout Italy and the Mediterranean.
Today, we often call Da Costanzo’s renowned style a Gladiator Sandal, repeated by shoemakers all over the world.
The Famous Da Costanzo’s Shop
Costanzo’s shop was and still is, a beautiful clutter of color, materials, designs, and well-worn tools. It looks the same today as it did more than sixty years ago when he received a call from a visitor who asked the cobbler to measure her late in the evening for a pair of his famous Capri sandals. The customer was Jackie Kennedy, and the rest is history. Jackie was an international trendsetter, and soon word of Costanzo’s shop was everywhere. Jackie fell so in love with his designs that she had a pair of Capri sandals made to wear with every color of her Capri pants!
Costanzo designed for many other Hollywood luminaries like Greta Garbo and Grace Kelly, as well as Presidents, Kings, and Sultans, to name a few. Still, he remained humble and treated every customer with the same exacting craftsmanship and personal attention. Costanzo’s legacy lives on in his son Antonio who sits in the same workspace his father Constanzo did when designing Jackie Kennedy’s shoes, surrounded by the original shoemaking tools his father created by hand.
Antonio is proud to carry on his father’s legacy, as is his daughter, Francesca, who sits across from him in the tiny shop. When you see a Capri sandal in the wild, it’s hard to believe the trend that made them ubiquitous started in this wonderful creative space that looks more like a Hollywood film set than an actual business.
Da Costanzo’s Shop Today
The shop vibrates with every imaginable leather strap, chain, jewel, and buckle color. The soles of future Capri sandals line an entire wall in every color and size. Everything is there at hand for Antonio and Francesca to make a pair of sandals to order. Pick your color, jewels, and style, and your unique vision is created in front of your eyes under their practiced hands. No two pairs are the same.
If you ask, Antonio is happy to show you the original outline of Jackie Kennedy’s feet that his father made almost 70 years ago. He offers this not to brag but to say that, like many Italian businesses, long-term success begins with keeping it in the family and delivering world-class design, craftsmanship, and personal attention to others. Amazing to think first-century Roman fashion is still fashionable today-but style, like tradition, never gets old here.
