Ballerì: Italian ballerina shoes from Sorrento
Ballerì designs this wonderful choreography with women every day by creating uniquely designed Italian ballerinas.
Sensuality and magic for Ballerì ballerinas inspired by memories and traditions
Ballerì is the Neapolitan abbreviation of the word ballerina, and if the dialect reminds us of the importance of our history, we have also drawn inspiration from tradition for our Italian ballerina shoes: the slippers used to dance the Sorrento tarantella. Here in the magical Gulf of Naples, the Sorrento tarantella is famous for being a magical, sensual and playful dance. A dance that for us has an intimate value because it is linked to a family memory and inspires us every day in the creation of our handmade ballerina shoes. Maestro Antonino Ciro de Lizza, our grandfather’s father, used to play wonderful tarantellas and barcarole at the end of the 19th century, such as “Vieni al mar”, which won the famous Piedigrotta prize in 1910. The word “tarantella”, however, does not only mean dance, but also “problem”. Who, better than a woman, can deal with problems: avoiding them, going around them or skipping them, as if she were dancing her own, intimate and secret tarantella?
Gaia de Lizza designs for Ballerì: the “dolce vita” enclosed in a pair of ballerinas
Gaia de Lizza graduated in Marketing and Communication at the University of Bologna. She then went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Economics and Marketing in Fashion and Luxury Goods, before attending Sergio Rossi’s Cercal School of Design. Since 2000 he has worked for brands and designers such as Dirk Bikkembergs, Woolrich, Diego Dolcini, Ermenelgindo Zegna and Kiton. After years spent between Milan, Paris and Naples he decided to take the leap and launch in 2018 his personal brand: Ballerì. All the ballerina shoes created by designer Gaia de Lizza are the result of her inspiration linked to the colours and traditions of her land, to the scents and emotions that the Amalfi Coast knows how to ignite. Ballerì ballerinas are refined shoes designed above all for working women, by working women: feminine, dynamic, unique, just like those who wear them
“My greatest inspiration is my land, with its colours and traditions. I don’t like to study the smallest details of what I’m going to do, but rather I let myself be inspired by the things I see and experience without there necessarily being a logical or obvious thread. Many impulses come from my curiosity and passion for art, literature, cinema and design. I believe that the task of designers is to elevate thoughts towards something material that people can use and love.”
Gaia
The story of the brand that makes the lemon ballerina an all-Italian icon
The Ballerì brand is the brainchild of three siblings: Gaia, Sergio and Solange de Lizza, who differ in personality and life paths but are very much united in their feelings and attachment to their roots. All Ballerì’s women’s ballerina shoe collections have a touch of the coast that makes them fresh, unique and linked to the land where they are made: the lemon embroidery on the uppers was created in this way, to give verve but also craftsmanship.
“Our aim was to create an all-Italian project with an emphasis on the traditions, colours and excellence of our land: Capri, Sorrento, the Amalfi coast, a magnificent city like Naples. Inspiration is present everywhere, it comes from the things we see and from everyday life. We want to give women all over the world the scent of lemons and the cheerful atmosphere of Naples, and to give life to a project that enhances artisans and Made in Italy”.
Ballerì shoes are Italian ballerinas, made in Naples, according to the ancient tradition handed down over the years from father to son. They are beautiful and comfortable shoes for a dynamic and busy woman, feminine and seductive who, even in the most frenetic moments of a working day, does not renounce style and elegance.
The idea of the brand is to highlight the manufacturing excellence of Campania, preserving the historical identity of a place like Sorrento where craftsmanship, embroidery and beauty have always been admired by the whole world, making this land a symbol of quality and uniqueness. The passion and love of an art that survives the passage of time are present in every Ballerì creation.
