Shoe designer Edgardo Osorio gets personal with winter collection for Aquazzura

When it comes to connecting with customers, shoe designer Edgardo Osorio takes his cues from old-school couturiers such as Dior and Saint Laurent - albeit with his own technological twist.

"Up until the 1960s, women would meet designers in their private ateliers and together they would build a relationship and a wardrobe. Then, all of a sudden, designers disappeared into their own private bubble and there was no communication," Osorio says.

"For me, it's important that I can talk to my customers all over the world. They can comment on what they like, tell me what fits - we have a daily dialogue. I can also see what she looks like and how she wears my shoes, which is a huge advantage. Thank God for Instagram, it helps me keep connected," says the 29-year-old designer, who has 42,000 followers on the image-sharing website.

While many fashion brands shun social media sites, it's Osorio's personal touch that has propelled his meteoric rise to shoe fame since establishing Aquazzura, a play on the Italian words for blue water, in 2011. Lauded as one of the next generation of luxury shoemakers, Osorio's elegant yet cool styles have become must-haves thanks to devoted high-profile fans that include Giovanna Battaglia, Karolina Kurkova, Lauren Santo Domingo, Kim Kardashian and Carine Roitfeld.

"Funnily, we became a success because [our styles] started to appear at fashion week," he explains. "It became the fashion week shoe because all the editors and buyers wore them in the front row. It was an insider's brand and that really gave us an edge."

Three years later, Aquazzura is available in 42 countries and at top stores including Barneys New York, Browns in London and Lane Crawford, where Osorio unveiled his new collection on Friday. It is also his first collaboration with style icon Olivia Palermo.