Creative Director Bear Degidio didn’t want to disrupt the footwear space nor chase any luxury buzzword when he started building Santo Studio’s footwear. His drive came from a quieter frustration with how disconnected most product design has become from the people who actually live in it. Instead of mood boards, Degidio leaned into conversations with athletes who’ve spent years breaking in their own shoes the hard way. Twitch, Ryan Sheckler, Cole Houshmand, CJ Barham, Khalil Rountree and Jett Lawrence were invited to challenge an idea. In Newport Beach, they sat with the design team and spoke candidly about what works, what fails and what never gets considered when fashion gets too far ahead of function. What emerged from that process came valuable insights from those who lived in skate parks, surf breaks, dirt tracks and fight camps. These spaces were true testing grounds so materials like vulcanized rubber, Flow Memory Foam and tech-driven insoles exist to survive a full day of movement and still feel right at night. With the creation of the program’s Trento Sneaker, the throughline is versatility, not compromise. “It’s a shoe I feel confident can cross both worlds from skating to dinner with my fam and still give me that elevated feel,” skate icon Ryan Sheckler said. That tension between utility and restraint is where Santo Studio actually finds its footing. The model’s design sits comfortably in the luxury ready-to-wear conversation, but it doesn’t posture or over-explain itself. “This is truly years of creating shoes for brands all wrapped into one perfect everyday wear sneaker I can ride around in all day and feel comfortable and fresh,” freestyle motocross (FMX) rider and X Games medalist Twitch describes. At its core, the Santo Studio footwear program is truly about substance and longevity, informed by those who progress active lifestyles. Degidio’s approach suggests that the best thing a brand can do right now is slow down, listen harder and build alongside the communities it claims to represent. “I wanted to finally give the world a footwear program that’s not just named after celebrities, but designed by icons and champions of sport in their own light with their own influence truly bringing culture and meaning and purpose back to everyday modern wear pieces,” Degidio adds. The Santo Studio Trento Sneaker lands at the brand’s Lido Marina Village flagship before landing at Nordstrom nationwide. See the images above for a closer look at the shoe and its collaborators.
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