Chris Francis, a Los Angeles artisan, is painstakingly cataloguing and preserving the extensive archive of famed shoemaker Pasquale Di Fabrizio, whose carved wooden foot forms once served Hollywood’s elite.
In a cluttered East L.A. studio, Chris Francis retrieves a shoebox labeled “Anjelica Huston,” lifting its lid to reveal a carved wooden last and a handwritten note reading, “To Pasquale / My happy feet shall thank you — Anjelica Huston.”
Francis acquired the archive in 2022, trading two of his sculptural shoe-art pieces to Gary Kazanchyan for the full collection of Di Fabrizio’s lasts, patterns and correspondence. Though Francis never met Di Fabrizio, who died in 2008, he now devotes himself to preserving that legacy.
In his workshop, Francis also continues to build his own handcrafted shoes. He stresses that “The handmade shoe is alive and well in this shop,” rejecting computer-assisted methods. His bespoke footwear, often exceeding $1,800 per pair, must endure the rigors of performance while remaining stylistically bold.
Determined that Di Fabrizio’s archive be appreciated more widely, Francis says, “I never want to be without it, but I’m realistic that it deserves to be appreciated by more than just myself.”
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