26 December, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Italian specialists are being hired at the joint Belarusian-Russian enterprise "Belvest", the enterprise told a BELTA correspondent. Cooperation with Italian companies – manufacturers of leather, components, as well as with Italian design studios has been ongoing at "Belvest" for over two decades. However, this year the enterprise has started hiring foreign specialists, primarily Italians, for its staff for the first time. At the beginning of the year, two specialists in production organisation and shoe quality improvement were hired, and recently two more citizens of the Mediterranean country – a technologist and a designer – became employees of the enterprise. All of them are highly qualified specialists who have gained their work experience at the most renowned Italian shoe factories. The technologist, incidentally a hereditary shoemaker, specialises in the finishing of footwear, and the designer not only develops her own shoe line but also creates lasts for it. Both specialists have been hired on contract and are quite satisfied with their work at the largest footwear enterprise. Another notable trend has emerged in working with foreign partners. If previously "Belvest" purchased designs it liked from one of the well-known Italian design studios, then since 2012 this company has become the direct developer of the style for the entire new "Spring-Summer 2013" shoe collection. Moreover, the Italian designers not only created the image but also became practical mentors for their Belarusian colleagues – the designers of "Belvest", who underwent internships directly in Italy. This joint creative effort has resulted in four main themes for the new collection: "Pop Art", "Flowers", "Darkness", and "Sea Inspiration", which will be distinguished by an extraordinary variety of colour palettes and innovative finishing technologies. The new products will be available in retail outlets in February 2013.