‘It was making shoes from mozzarella’
Who had come to him years ago in Amsterdam, probably never thought that in 2021 he would be behind plenty of stylish sneakers for men. Diego Telesco (35) started a successful shoe brand: “The more things went wrong, the stronger I became.”
Ad is loading…
“It was making shoes, from mozzarella. Those are the two things that the city I come from is known for”, laughs Diego Telesco Merry. The originally Italian comes across as friendly and modest. He tells his story from his home in Amsterdam-West. “All my friends in Napoli, where I am originally, were shoemakers,” he explains. “I was often with them, so I knew a little bit how to do it. But it was not self-evident that I would launch my own shoe brand this year. It was a very hard battle.”
Difficult youth in Italy
“I had a difficult childhood. Until my 12e I lived with another family,” said Diego. “My mother had no money and no ability to provide me with the life I deserved as a child. My father was out of the picture. After I was twelve I could live with her and my mother started a company. That went well in the beginning, but after ten years she went bankrupt and she got into major problems with the government. That was when I started to choose myself and leave Italy. I no longer protected my country. I saw my mother work hard for her money and after all these years of struggle, she was again empty-handed.”
In the Netherlands there is much more respect for each other than in Italy
Dishwasher in Amsterdam
Diego Telesco had been to Amsterdam once before. “I really liked the respect that people had for each other in the city. We don’t have that in Italy,” he says. “If you do something there, it’s always for the government and not for yourself. There is a road you must follow. In Amsterdam I had the feeling for the first time in my life that this was a place where I really wanted to live. So I left for Amsterdam to fulfill my big dream and start something for myself.”
“Of course that was not without a struggle. Amsterdam is an expensive city, I didn’t know anyone there and didn’t speak a word of English, let alone Dutch. The start was really good, but I kept saying I could really stay if I tried hard enough. I found a job as a dishwasher at an Italian restaurant on the Museumplein. I work there completely broken. I think I’ve worked five years in a row without seeing the light of day. From early in the morning until the middle of the night. My social life? That didn’t exist. I had to earn money so that I could be independent as soon as possible.”
Ad is loading…
Your own house
After five years, Diego had saved so much money that it was enough for him to buy a house. For the first time, he had a stable, secure base that no one could take from him. Thanks to this stable situation, he was able to fulfill his dream, because although he was developed in the restaurant from dishwasher to cook, his main focus was fashion. He decides to do something with his passion for shoes. “I produced shoes in Italy and brought them to the Netherlands. Italian shoe leather was new to the Dutch. A lot of people laugh at me when I talk about my dream, but I was convinced it could work.”
Diego enlisted an Italian friend of his and started a shoe line with him, Du00. But after another year began to understand rather want to focus on other companies and protect the brand with existence. “I was on my own again, but I didn’t let that put me off. I decided to do it alone this time, under my own name. I also got into trouble with that: a German brand turned out to be too similar to my name in terms of brand name. Another struggle, but it only made me stronger and stronger. The more that went wrong, the stronger I became.”
Pastels
“In 2021 the registry accepted my name and I was finally able to get started. My brand will soon be sold in six stores in the Netherlands. A boutique in the 9 Streets is one of those places, but my shoes are also in Groningen and Delft, for example. I only produce for men, because that’s where my strength lies. My brand is the pastel colors I work with. And I am the only one here with a premium brand that actually practice the shoes themselves. You can really see that handmade quality.”
Never leave Amsterdam again
Although success abroad beckons, Diego never wants to leave Amsterdam. Back to Italy? “I don’t think about it!” he laughs. “Italy is nice for vacation, but not for living. I go there about five times a year for the shoes and for family visits, but my life is here, in Amsterdam. I got to know a Dutch woman, whom I met in the restaurant where I started as a dishwasher. In recent years she has always developed me and believed in my plans. I now have two children with her, aged 2.5 and 1 years. Plus, I never set up this brand with the mindset of being big and popular. What I do to get the message: you have to believe in yourself. People from the past are shocked at what I have achieved. I want to let you know that anyone can do this. No one should get in the way of your dreams. Hold that thought and everything will work out!”