Guidi vs. A1923: Two Italian Leather Houses Compared

Guidi and A1923 get cross-shopped constantly, and for good reason: both are Italian, leather-first, object-dyed houses that sit in the same dark avant-garde footwear register. But they are structurally different operations making structurally different shoes, and knowing the difference matters before spending four figures on either. This is the comparison in full.

Origins: a tannery versus a solo atelier

Guidi is a tannery before it is a shoe label. The Conceria Guidi Rosellini was founded in 1896 in Pescia, Tuscany, by Guido Guidi, Giovanni Rosellini and Gino Ulivo, in a region where leather tanning traditions date back to the Middle Ages. The company is still family-run, now led by Ruggero Guidi, and spent decades supplying vegetable-tanned leather to other houses before building a footwear line under its own name. The leather is the product; the shoe is the format it ships in.

A1923 (formerly named Augusta) is the work of one person: Simone Cecchetto, based in Rome, who hand-crafts every pair and treats the leather himself before construction. The label was originally named after his grandmother Augusta and her birth year, 1923. In the house's own words, the work explores the properties of materials and construction, reinterpreting artisanal technique rather than following it. A1923 is closer to an individual leather practice than a footwear company at scale.

Leather and treatment

Guidi is known for its vegetable tanning and object-dyeing: pairs are constructed first, then dyed as a finished object, which is part of why Guidi footwear shows a soft drape and relaxed structure from new. Horse leather, in full grain and reverse finishes, is the house signature, alongside calf and other skins in smaller runs. The leather develops visible creasing and colour change with wear, and that aging is part of the appeal for long-time buyers.

A1923 leathers are hand-treated by Cecchetto himself, piece by piece, which is why two examples of the same model can show visible variation. Horse and kangaroo leathers both appear in the current range. The ninesells⁹ archive currently holds a kangaroo chromo pair in an overdyed Tinto Nero finish, an example of the house's hand-treatment approach.

Construction and silhouette

Guidi's best-known shapes are the 788Z back-zip boot, the 988 (built from a single piece of leather across the upper, developing a signature ankle crease with wear), and the PL1 front-zip boot with its distinctive stacked sole. All three read as rounded, relaxed silhouettes built to soften and mould to the foot over time.

A1923 runs toward more sculptural, constructed shapes: side-zip and lace boots with visible construction decisions and a stiffer initial hand than Guidi's softened leathers. The shoes hold their built shape rather than collapsing into the foot the way a broken-in Guidi does.

Fit and sizing

Guidi generally runs true to EU size with a roomy toe box, and the soft leather stretches with wear; buyers between sizes typically size down, since the leather gives. As with any archive footwear, measuring the insole against your own foot beats trusting a stamped size, especially on older production.

A1923 fits slimmer and holds its shape longer, with less stretch over time than Guidi. Buyers between sizes generally stay true to size or go up, the opposite of the usual Guidi rule.

On the resale market

Guidi has the larger production volume of the two, which makes it the more liquid house on the secondary market: pairs surface more regularly, and staple models like the 788Z and 988 move fastest. Condition is read differently on Guidi than on conventional luxury footwear. Developed patina is expected and often wanted, so honest wear costs less resale value here than it would elsewhere.

A1923 output is a fraction of Guidi's, since it is one person hand-making each pair, and secondary market supply is correspondingly thin. Prices are less standardised and holding periods run longer, but the pool of alternatives for a specific A1923 model is small, which supports value for buyers willing to wait.

Which one to buy

If you want leather that visibly lives and ages, a relaxed fit, and a pair you can find and later resell without friction, Guidi is the more practical choice. If you want sculptural construction, a firmer silhouette, and don't mind a longer hunt, A1923 rewards the search. Neither is the budget option. The choice comes down to how you want leather to behave on your foot over years, not a difference in quality tier.

Shop the comparison

From Guidi, see the Guidi collection, including the Guidi 788Z back-zip boot in black horse leather. From A1923, see the A1923 collection and the A1923 ST41 kangaroo chromo boot in Tinto Nero currently in the archive. Browse all archive footwear in stock in menswear.

Both houses sit inside the wider canon mapped in our Dark Avant-Garde overview. For how Guidi leather behaves in garment and footwear construction outside the house itself, see the Leon Emanuel Blanck materials guide, which covers that house's use of Guidi horse leather in construction.

Frequently asked questions

Is A1923 the same company as Guidi?
No. Guidi is a family-run Tuscan tannery founded in 1896; A1923 is the solo practice of Simone Cecchetto, based in Rome. They share a leather-first tradition, not ownership.

Does Guidi fit true to size?
Broadly yes, with a roomy toe box and soft leather that stretches; between sizes, most buyers size down. A1923 runs slimmer and stiffer; between sizes, stay true to size or go up.

Why is A1923 harder to find than Guidi?
Production scale. Guidi operates as an established tannery and shoe line; A1923 is one artisan hand-making each pair, so secondary market supply is structurally thin.

Is worn Guidi worth less than dead-stock?
Somewhat, but the discount is smaller than on conventional luxury footwear, because developed patina is part of what Guidi buyers are looking for.