Beyoncé has brought glamour around the world during her Renaissance World Tour. A key designer in bringing that vision to life was Giuseppe Della Badia — founder and designer of Italian luxury brand Gedebe — who crafted over 30 pairs of custom shoes for the musician’s performances.
“The concept and the idea is all around the concept of contemporary opulence and modern renaissance,” Della Badia told FN of his collaborative process with the singer’s various stylists — including Karen Langley, Shiona Turini and KJ Moody.
Della Badia’s Beyoncé journey began when Langley contacted him for a shoe loan, which led to requests for custom tour footwear. His first lineup took nearly two months to create, based on color guidelines matching the singer’s viral designer tour wardrobe. Though Gedebe’s signature glamour was embodied with crystals, plated lycra and more, the brand was also tasked to make heels Beyoncé could dance in — which required further innovation.
“We developed a unique structure that provides stability, and the structure was made on her foot; it provides stability while performing and dancing, but it also elongates the leg shape,” Della Badia said of making shoes on a 3D rendering of Beyoncé’s body. “We started a very technical support inside the boots, which goes from the ankle up to the knee, and this ensured that the boots will not slip off.”
Throughout the tour, Gedebe was often asked to make shoes for future outfits, with deadlines as short as three days’ notice. Della Badia excitedly describes the process as “unbelievable,” with one particular shoe marking his personal feat of the tour.
“They asked for oversized boot, a baggy style, but the baggy style made of crystal,” Della Badia recalls of the camouflage-patterned boots that made their debut at the singer’s Toronto performance. “We needed to do a lot of technical adjustments on this style, because they asked for a zip on the back, bones inside to keep the boots on, and they asked to be soft. But this kind of style is very heavy, when you do a baggy style and oversized boots — but we studied it so well that she loved it.”
Working with Beyoncé for the Renaissance World Tour has been a large accomplishment for Della Badia, who’s frequently received requests to make other artists custom footwear as well — all while designing his spring 2024 collection. However, the designer’s personal highlight of the experience was the tour’s first show in Stockholm, where his reflective boots made a statement onstage.
“Honestly, on May 8, I was not sure that she was wearing something because I thought, ‘Beyoncé is a superstar, maybe she will wear Givenchy or maybe something else,'” Della Badia recalls. “That night, I was a little bit depressed because I was thinking, ‘She will not wear anything.’ So, when I received the message of the stylist, ‘She’s wearing your reflective [boots],’ I almost cried.”
Aaron Royce is the Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on celebrity style, brand collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Royce wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
