MILAN — Rene Caovilla is upping the ante of its distinctive craftsmanship and flamboyant creativity by introducing a couture capsule collection.
A first for the Italian footwear company, the project intends to celebrate its historic ties with the world of couture. The brand has collaborated with international couturiers in the past, including a partnership spanning from the late ‘60s to the early ‘90s with Valentino Garavani. It also created designs for the couture shows of Chanel throughout the ‘80s and for the Christian Dior brand in the late ‘90s, among others.
For its own couture venture, the Venice-based company indulged in all-things opulently sparkling and fuchsia in a focused line titled “The Jungle Couture.”
A style from Rene Caovilla’s The Jungle Couture collection.
Courtesy of Rene Caovilla
The line will comprise five styles and will drop on Monday, coinciding with the first day of Paris Couture Week. It will be available exclusively at the Rene Caovilla store in Paris’ Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré during couture.
Standouts include a tulle boot embroidered with more than 1,400 dazzling flowers and butterflies, which required around 120 hours of workmanship. A 4.1-inch heeled ankle boot version is adorned with more than 8,000 hand-applied crystals.
The making of Rene Caovilla’s The Jungle Couture capsule collection.
Courtesy of Rene Caovilla
The floral theme, color and the brand’s signature stardust sole will be replicated on the three other styles available upon order. These are the Jungle pump and sling-back in fuchsia satin and tulle and encrusted with 150 crystals, as well as the Jungle SuperCleo sandal, the couture take on one of Rene Caovilla’s most iconic designs, here embellished with dazzling appliqués.
Rene Caovilla’s Jungle SuperCleo sandals.
Luca Fabbian/Courtesy of Rene Caovilla
A perennial bestseller, the Cleo sandals were introduced in 1968 by footwear design legend René Caovilla, who inherited the company his father Edoardo founded in 1928 and has transformed it into a global luxury brand.
Caovilla, who was inducted into the FN Hall of Fame in 2016, was inspired by an antique Roman bracelet in creating the sinuous silhouette of the style, which features a rigid strap wrapping around the ankle.
The making of the Rene Caovilla Jungle SuperCleo sandals.
Courtesy of Rene Caovilla
The design is a celebrity favorite, too. Most recently Keke Palmer modeled her fun-loving fashion sense on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” by wearing a star-embellished iteration of the Cleo sandal with a fiery orange Versace spring 2002 couture dress.
A similar style featuring hand-applied rhinestones on the straps was picked by Becky G for the American Music Awards, while Taraji P. Henson opted for a white version with the spiraling detail capped with a snake head to match the Gaurav Gupta white gown she wore at the amfAR Gala Cannes 2025. Ditto for Kate Hudson, who chose a metallic silver iteration of the Cleo design for her appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” earlier this year.
A style from Rene Caovilla’s The Jungle Couture collection.
Courtesy of Rene Caovilla
