Our Unique Design Process!

Our Unique Design Process

From the very first sketch to the final flourish of polish, every By Lili and Lili Cardi shoes or bags passes through the hands—and the vision—of our founder and designer, Lili Cardi. Her journey spans three continents and more than a decade of couture-level craftsmanship, giving rise to a design process unlike any other.

European couture roots
Raised in the ateliers of France and Italy, Lili honed her craft creating limited-edition collections for celebrated luxury houses. Classical training in footwear pattern-making and leather artistry taught her one lesson above all: form must serve the human body. Her deep study of foot and spinal anatomy allows every last, heel, and upper to support natural posture while feeling effortlessly elegant.

Art meets science
Already an accomplished artist, Lili immersed herself in bio-organic surface treatments during her years in China and Armenia. There she mastered ancestral plant-based dyeing techniques, then fused them with modern sustainable chemistry to develop our proprietary BioChrom™ finish—rich, long-lasting color achieved with zero toxic runoff.

Innovation informed by tradition
While respecting the heritage of shoemaking and bag-building, Lili continually experiments with cutting-edge sole technologies and lightweight reinforcements. Each capsule collection begins with hand-drawn concepts, evolves through 3-D modeling, and is refined on custom anatomical lasts to guarantee both precision fit and timeless silhouette.

Total creative control
Every stage—leather selection, color blending, stitch density, hardware plating—is overseen personally by Lili. Prototypes are worn, tweaked, and re-tweaked until they strike the perfect balance of comfort, durability, and unmistakable Urbano Cardinale flair. Only then do we green-light small-batch production under her direct supervision.

Strict standards, boundless creativity
Our process is disciplined—because true luxury leaves no detail to chance. Yet it remains boldly creative, celebrating the ancient craft of leatherwork while pushing the possibilities of modern design. The result: capsule and bespoke collections that feel simultaneously classic and utterly fresh, crafted to accompany you for seasons to come.

Discover the journey behind every pair of shoes and every bag we create—and experience craftsmanship that walks the bridge between heritage and innovation.