About Bernardo Bernardo was founded by architect and social critic Bernard Rudofsky in 1946 with the encouragement of Diana Vreeland and the bold intention of freeing the foot from closed-toe oppression. Inspired by the Mediterranean, he invented the designer sandal. Sophisticated women of each generation since, like Jane Birkin and Jackie Onassis, have rediscovered Bernardo's simple, wearable sensibility and avant-garde designs.