Giustiano Peruzzo on Losing Sight of the Bigger Picture

Speakers’ Corner gives you a preview of the voices you’ll hear at upcoming PI events, straight from the people shaping fashion and footwear.

In this edition, Giustiano Peruzzo, R&D Footwear Design Manager at La Sportiva, brings a refreshingly sceptical eye to the noise around digital transformation. From why sustainability has undergone a "physiological mutation", to why the real bottleneck isn't the tools, but losing sight of the bigger picture.

What’s the biggest shift you’ve seen in footwear design or development over the past year?
The integration of artificial intelligence has, in my opinion, had the most widespread impact on the design industry. Thanks to the communication capabilities and speed enabled by social media platforms, and the fact that, in this context, images and videos of AI-generated products have become a form of entertainment, this has spread at an impressive rate.

What excites you most about the intersection of craft and technology right now?
The way you can redefine yourself as a storyteller and the capability to engage at a higher level when elaborating conceptual ideas before entering development.

What’s one challenge in digital product creation that still keeps you up at night?
Digital is a fundamental part of our communication. AI is a rapidly evolving field that's challenging even to keep pace with — service updates alone demand constant attention. What keeps me up is its full integration into the design process: a multifaceted challenge that's genuinely complex to implement, and one I'm still actively exploring.

What innovation do you think will define the next five years of footwear?
I have a strong feeling that any prediction made now will seem obsolete within six months. Given what's already happening in technology (for example, exoskeletons), I can imagine — but this is just my personal hypothesis — that there will be greater integration of systems, not just
mechanical ones, to enhance human strength and push athletic performance to the limit.

What’s the most underrated capability or mindset teams need to build today?
Trust within the team. If we don't trust each other, magic won't happen.

If you could wave a magic wand and fix one industry bottleneck, what would it be?
I'm working in product design. I feel like we often get caught up in focusing on seemingly relevant details, but they actually distract us from moving in the right direction and meeting deadlines. This hyper-immersive approach literally kills time. I would use the magic wand to enable a higher level of ability to broaden our perspective and see the bigger picture.

What’s one misconception people have about digital design or 3D workflows?
“Finally, everything is going to be so easy!”

How are sustainability and circularity influencing the way you design or source products?
These are two words that have attracted unprecedented media attention. Applying them effectively in the real world is another story entirely. What was for a long time a means of communicating virtuous intentions has undergone an almost physiological mutation — one that has defined the boundary between those who truly were virtuous and those who only talked about it.

In reality, both are at the core of our work without us even realising it. Not because they aren't important, but precisely because of the relevance these aspects have to the success of a product and its perception.

What does great collaboration between design, development, and manufacturing look like to you?
A successful recipe is never a given. A great result demands equally exceptional communication — because the true success of a product lies in creating the conditions for it to be recognised as one.

What’s one lesson you wish you’d learned earlier in your career?
The learning process never really ends — but time passes quickly. Don't make the mistake of letting yourself be carried away, abandoning yourself to the choices of others. Act consciously and be the architect of your own decisions. Live by absorbing as much as possible from the environment in which you work.

Do you think AI will replace or empower footwear designers?
AI will empower footwear designers by reducing the time required for conceptual design — raising the bar for quality and encouraging a level of self-criticism that makes designers less dependent on external validation than they once were.

Is the future of product creation more human-led or data-driven?
Our products are worn and used by people, so the reality lies somewhere in between: a balanced combination of data collection and analysis, guided by human judgement, for the benefit of the end user.

When we hear the word "data", it's almost automatic to picture a laboratory environment — machines processing numbers with limited human intervention. But data also comes from field tests, and from the fundamental contribution of people: athletes, mountain professionals, real users in real conditions.

That human dimension is irreplaceable. Data is essential, but it's only as valuable as the context and experience brought to interpreting it.

What’s overhyped right now in the footwear innovation space?
Thinking that AI is the ultimate solution and that it will solve everything autonomously.

What’s the best example you’ve seen of digital tools actually improving creativity, not killing it?
The best example I can think of is a conversation with a designer who felt empowered by the ability to express a wider range of ideas in less time — and still felt confident that what he was sharing was truly representative of his vision.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a brand trying to modernize its development pipeline?
Simplify the process as much as possible. We're so accustomed to bureaucratic approaches, especially in Italy, that we believe relying on complex frameworks guarantees results and reduces the risk of errors. True skill lies in achieving excellent results with essential processes.

Favourite shoe of all time - and why?
As a running enthusiast, I vote for the Brooks Pure family — Pure Flow 2 for road running and Pure Grit 3 for trail. Two shoes I wish were still more widely available, given their unexpected fit and feel, their perfect match for my foot anatomy, and their more than satisfactory performance.

Tool you couldn’t live without?
Paper and a ballpoint pen.

One word that sums up where the footwear industry’s heading next year?
If I had to focus on one word that I feel could make a difference, starting now and for the foreseeable future, I'd say INSOURCING.

The most inspiring project or person you’ve worked with recently?
I consider myself very lucky because I am part of a team of professionals who inspire me and motivate me every day to always give my best.

Finish this sentence: In 2026, great footwear design will be...
...still cooking for 2028 collections.

Giustiano will be joining us at Stride Europe, taking place 28–29 April in Venice, where he'll be part of the opening panel on 'Is Europe Ready for the Digital Renaissance?' and leading an interactive deep-dive session on 'Craft, Community & Human Experience in a Tech-Driven Industry'.