“I wanted to go back to the artisanal Italian shoes of 15 years ago,” said the veteran footwear retailer, who, in addition to wholesaling, plans to carry the upscale line in his Beverly Hills store and through a shop-in-shop in Malibu’s Fred Segal, starting in spring ’20. “A good style transcends generational or cultural boundaries.”

The collection is composed of classically retro pieces a woman could pull out of her closet and wear today. “To me, if it’s real fashion, it shouldn’t have a quick expiration date,”.

Assil opened his store in Beverly Hills in 1990. “We were one of the first to bring in Mui Mui, Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Marni, Christian Louboutin, among others,” said the retail veteran. “By the late 2000s, as I traveled to different cities, I noticed there were all the same stores and same brand matrix. I wanted to stay ahead of the curve and decided that the next turn was going to be a return to individuality and exclusivity.”

Over the years, the store introduced a number of lesser-known brands to the roster, such as Fauzian Jeunesse, Officine Creative and Silvano Sassetti — lines that have become the core of the Madison business.

I travel to Italy one month out of every six months and go to shows, then I drive throughout the country to visit tanneries and factories which I use to make my product.

Everything is handmade in Italy by small, multi-generational artisan factories: shoes, bags, belts, and clothing. New styles come from pieces I believe are lacking in the marketplace as well as putting pieces together that I find inspiring—such as a new heel coupled with a great last and finished off with beautiful leathers.