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, Matteo Pasca, Director at Arsutoria, makes the case for technical knowledge as a creative foundation rather than a creative constraint. From why athletic shoe technologies are quietly taking over traditional brown shoe construction, to why the real missing role in the industry sits between craft and industrialisation.
What’s the biggest shift you’ve seen in footwear design or development over the past year?
I am impressed by the level AI has reached in the creation of images and videos starting from sketches — a development that is genuinely changing the perspective on the workflows we will use in the future for design reviews, showroom samples, and assets for customer engagement.
What excites you most about the intersection of craft and technology right now?
I think today there is still a huge gap between craft and technology due to a lack of professionals who can act as bridges between these two worlds. A key role is played by those who, in the factories, work in the field of “industrialization": they need to find a way to preserve the craft and adapt the technology that is useful.
What innovation do you think will define the next five years of footwear?
My feeling is that technologies developed for athletic shoes will continue to take market share from the traditional materials and constructions of brown shoes. I'm thinking specifically of the evolution of foamed materials for sole manufacturing and automation based on precision equipment.
What’s the most underrated capability or mindset teams need to build today?
I'm not sure it is underrated, but in such a fast-changing environment I feel the priority goes back to a serious knowledge of the technologies needed to make products — materials, constructions, and machines. For years we have debated whether technical knowledge limits creativity. It is time to move past that dilemma.
How are sustainability and circularity influencing the way you design or source products?
Not much today — but we need to work harder to define frameworks, measure impacts, and set thresholds, then hope that governments create systems of incentives or prohibitions based on them.
Is the future of product creation more human-led or data-driven?
I sincerely hope the future of product creation remains in the hands of passionate professionals with a strong creative drive and a genuine interest in understanding how technology can make their work better. The level of human contribution will depend, I think, on the level of craft demanded by the market positioning of each product.
Matteo will be joining us at Stride Europe, taking place 28–29 April in Venice, where he'll be contributing to two panels — 'Is Europe Ready for the Digital Renaissance?' and 'The Digital Education Dilemma: How to Upskill the Next Generation of Talent'.
