Giuseppe Zanotti started working locally with small craftsmen and then as a free-lance designer working with important fashion maisons. In 1994, Zanotti took over a small shoemaking company, the Vicini shoe factory, and devoted his time to designing and manufacturing his own shoes. With a small workshop employing 15 people, including a jeweler, a heel and tree expert and an embroiderer, he started work on his first collection. Today, more than 350 skilled people work at his company which manufactures over 400,000 pairs of luxury women shoes.
He has been nominated “Designer of the Year” three times (2000, 2007, 2009) by Fairchild and won the “Prix d'Excellence de la Mode” for best footwear collection by Marie Claire International in 2010.