Fratelli Rossetti is celebrating an important milestone this year. Brera, the legendary loafer with tassels, icon of the Milanese brand, turns 50.

The Brera model was first designed in 1968. In an age when Europe was crossed by major cultural and social movements destined to change the continent’s history, Renzo Rossetti launched a style revolution during a time when Italy was an austere place not focused on details, and where simplicity was an everyday way of life rather than a trend. Renzo decided to introduce tassels on his shoes, which proved to be a lasting development in the world of fashion.

Brera, which takes its name from the long-established neighborhood in Milan whose libertine, prejudice-free atmosphere inspired the shoe, ushered in yet another style revolution.Initially designed as a man’s shoe, it was soon offered in a female version, becoming one of the symbols of the masculine look for women.

Today, Brera continues to break moulds, appearing in unique materials and with eye-catching details. This season’s key model is an exquisite embroidered versionwith the name sewn on the side, created to celebrate the shoe’s 50th anniversary. Another striking, sophisticated new model features a clip decorated with charms in the form of an oyster, a tassel with metal logo and a large braided tassel. The collection also offers models with a hand-crafted flavor, one example created in bleached leather and then repainted by hand, embellished with satin details on the tassels, around the loafer, on the insole and on the edges. Thisyouthful version features an ultra-light sole and zigzag stitching in a contrasting color.

Along with the Brera model, Fratelli Rossetti offers a collection accenting dualism and ambiguity, removing the strongmasculine edge from footwear by adding fanciful decorations such as beads or charms. Once again, the focus is on the #sexyinflats concept Fratelli Rossetti has been promoting since the 1970s: femininity is a question not of high heels, but of style. The men’s models, presented for the first time during Women’s Fashion Weekalso focus on the concept of opposites, with solid volumes given a softer edge thanks to sophisticated details, such as contrasting stitching, or embroidery with an exotic touch.

The sense of dualism is embodied by an unconventional setting: the opulence of the Palazzo Visconti, which is then marked by contrasting pop elements that break the mould of tradition, teaming virtual reality with analogue and giving rise to an imaginary dialogue between the shoes and the observer.