Who is Donald J Pliner and what is he doing in the mountains of Italy?

Donald J Pliner shoes have become a common sight on the American landscape. I wanted to know just who is this guy and where does he get all these shoes?

Company Overview:
1943
Donald J Pliner was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, with his twin sister Donna. Born with a "silver shoehorn" in his mouth, Donald and brother, Elliot, worked as apprentices to their father, Leo, at the family owned Pliner's Florsheim Family Shoe Stores.
1967
Donald opened Pappagallo Beverly Hills - his own retail store. First-year sales hit almost $1 million.
1971
Donald rose to retail prominence with the Right Bank Clothing Co. Located on Camden Drive in Beverly Hills, this store quickly became the source for fashion. Three years later, the store became the Right Bank Shoe Co., which served as the first American outlet for European designers like Thierry Mugler, Basile, Castelbajac, Maud Frizon, Stephane Kelian, Arche, Bisonte and Trussardi. At the same time, Donald opened a second store, The Right Bank Clothing Co. and Tea Room, on Rodeo Drive. Donald continued to innovate, developing a line of RBCC clothing, shoes and accessories. This line generated so much attention, it warranted a wholesale division. This was picked up and represented in specialty and department stores across the country. Meanwhile, the Right Bank Clothing Co. and Tea Room became the place of choice for celebrity meetings.
1984
Intershoe recruited Donald to head a new line of Spanish-produced footwear called Glacè. He not only designed the collection, but he also directed and conceived the whole operation, including sales. The result was the incredibly successful Glacee collection. Within two years, the line was sold nationwide.
1987
Donald moved into producing fashion-forward shoes for Erica. His design direction dramatically increased sales and new business.
1989
Donald once again created his own line of footwear and accessories with current company Donald J Pliner.
1994
Donald designed his first all-over elastic shoe, using comfort as his underlying goal. Although his current collections include novelty materials and vibrant colors, almost every style has some elastic in it, whether hidden or used as the primary fabric for a shoe.
1998
Men's footwear is introduced by Donald J Pliner for the first time. What started as basic shoes made mostly of elastic has evolved into fashion for the male feet. Today, the men's line includes dress shoes, boots, basic comfort shoes, sandals, sporty styles, and executive dress shoes, which use the air-touch system patented in Italy for added comfort.
1999
Aventura Mall in South Florida is established as the location for the first Donald J Pliner concept store. The décor of the store remains consistent with the New York showroom as well as Donald's home in Miami, and is the basis for all of the Donald J Pliner boutiques. The artifacts and unique collections from his travels around the world adorn the floor and walls and have continually served as the inspiration for Donald's shoes and accessories. Known for his high fashion comfort footwear, Donald wants his customers to be comfortable not only while wearing his shoes, but also when shopping for them.
2002
Donald J Pliner Handbags are re-launched with a complete makeover. Two collections of handbags are available, they include the "Couture" line, which is made in Italy, and the "Donald J Pliner" line, which is manufactured in Asia and other parts of the world. All of the accessories are designed to match the shoes in such elements as materials and colorations.
2003
Donald J Pliner opens his flagship store in Beverly Hills on Camden Drive, just one block away from the original location of The Right Bank Clothing Co. where Donald launched his business thirty-seven years earlier.
2004
Donald has launched Friends of BabyDoll Pliner, a collection featuring outerwear, collars, leashes, harnesses, day carriers, and FAA approved airline carriers for dogs up to 20 pounds.
2008
Today, Donald continues to develop an innovative line of luxury comfort footwear, mixing creative energy with ongoing entrepreneurial spirit. The company has expanded to include footwear for men and women, leatherwear for men and women, handbags, and belts. There are six Donald J Pliner concept stores in Miami, Beverly Hills, Coral Gables, Houston, Las Vegas, and San Jose.

Specifications:
From Ron White: "Although his current fashion collections include novelty materials and vibrant colors, almost every style has some elastic in it, whether hidden or used as the primary fabric for a shoe. The flexibility of this stretch does wonders for the comfort of these fashionable styles.
All of Donald J Pliner’s shoes are manufactured in The Mountains of Italy or The Beaches of Spain with state-of-the-art quality control. They believe in giving their customers the best of fashion, quality and comfort. Comfort is especially important in all of their products, including footwear for men and women."
The Donald J Pliner motto is to "live the luxury of comfortable fashion."

Reviews:
Generally positive reviews as one would expect from this higher end shoe. The elastic components of the shoe are routinely given kudos for improving comfort. One complaint noted poor service at the Pliner store in Beverly Hills. They are noted by some to run on the narrow side.
Go to Zappos to read individual reviews.

Pricing:
Pliners come in all conceivable styles so a large price range is to be expected. The Pliner Sports and casual shoes can start as low as USD 70 while the high end Coutures and current hot fashions can run as high as USD 400. There are lots of Pliners on Ebay so don't settle for beat up shoes. You can pick up last years styles, new for USD 50-70 and gently used for as low as USD 20. So don't buy shoes with a lot of sole wear, lots of scuffs or stains or poor stitching.

Charity:
Donald and Lisa Pliner have a charitable foundation called Peace for the Children foundation. To be perfectly frank I can't really tell much about the specifics even after reading about it but here is what it says on the Pliner home site
"Donald and Lisa Pliner are always passionate about the causes that are important to them-health, arts, animals, and more. But to have more impact on our future, the Pliners have decided to focus their charitable efforts on the most vulnerable members of society: children.
Out of these efforts comes the Peace For The Children Foundation, which has been created to channel funds to deserving projects and initiatives that advance peace, care, and welfare to children in need.
Each year, Donald puts a special ornament on his shoes and handbags. This year the Donald J Pliner Spring 2008 collection will have a peace sign, which is partly tied to the Vietnam War, but more important because Donald and Lisa’s lives were so profoundly changed when they went to Kazakhstan to meet their daughter and we saw all the children that will never be adopted."
You can read about it here.