Made in Stone - The Timeless Allure of Marble in Luxury
Design Ideas and Random Thoughts
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Quote I’m pondering:
"Marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has."— Michelangelo
Carrara Marble
This week at Studio Fahy, we explored the intersection of Italian marble and luxury footwear—specifically, Calacatta and Carrara Marble from the renowned Bettogli Quarry in Italy. These stones, with their dramatic veining, have been sculpted for centuries (and even made an appearance in the Oscar-winning film The Brutalist).
• Is real marble viable for footwear?
Short answer: Not quite. Even when cut super thin, hollowed out, and used on a low block heel, the weight made it impractical. Instead, we developed an acrylic-based resin that replicates the texture, pattern, and feel of marble—perfect for the heel and the tear-shaped window eyelets on the vamp.
• The materials & details:
The vamp features black calf leather with a subtle marbled effect.
We extended our material experiment beyond footwear—creating a button and a vase in marble (just for fun) although I think a deubre and lace terminals would look great.
What fascinates me is the permanence of marble. While most materials today are designed to be recycled, reused, or biodegradable, marble is made to last decades, even centuries. This button will be around for hundreds of years after we’re all toast.
My Recommends this week:
I bumped into my neighbour last week, who used to be a TV weather man, and during our daily observations on the weather, he recommended a great astrology app called Sky View Lite. It lets you stargaze in real-time through the lens of your mobile - space station, Hubble, constellations etc. Check it out here.
My final recommend this week is 80000hours.org, a nonprofit founded by Oxbridge researchers. It offers peer-reviewed research on how to best spend the 80,000 hours you’ll work in your life—doing something meaningful and impactful. Wish I’d read it 20 years ago.
Till next time…
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