Happy Friday Everyone! My apologies for being a little MIA of late, but I promise to make it up to you, so be sure and check back in next week for some fresh new updates. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

- Erin

Oh so excited to be sharing this with you all! We were recently featured in World Footwear magazine! They are based out of the UK, and their magazine is distributed all over the globe. So thrilled to be a part of this wonderful publication, and for even bigger scans, be sure and check out the article on our website!
        

- Erin

Still in a daze after our whirlwind exploration of Lineapelle, we headed back to the factory to work on the prototypes of the new shoes, which the leathers we selected will be used on. I don’t like to end sentences with prepositions but I couldn’t quite figure out how to word that first sentence any other way.  My apologies to the grammar people reading this (I’m including myself in this category).  Back to the shoes . . . .

This is a shoe last:

Julie Lopez Last

More specifically, it’s OUR last. Made just for Julie Lopez, to our own specifications and requirements. It’s the mold that the factory uses to make each shoe, so there are multiple lasts, depending on the style of the shoe. There are lasts for open toe shoes, closed toe shoes, flats, lower heels, higher heels, and everything in between.

Wait? Lower heels? Flats? Open toe shoes?

Yes, you read right. Get ready. That classic pump you all know and love was just the beginning.

The last is then used to make prototypes, which is where the factory works on the design of the shoe, but uses whatever spare material they have laying around. The prototype phase is all about the design and function of the shoe; the looks part comes a bit later.

Julie Lopez Prototype on the Last

Here’s that same last, but now you can see the prototype being fitted on it. (PS- This is also a sneak peek at some of our new styles. What do you think?)

The last step in this process is the fitting, shown here being done by yours truly:

Erin trying on the prototypes

I try on the prototypes, the guys from the factory tweak and tweak and tape (as you can see in the prototype on the last pic) and tweak and tape some more, then they go and create a new prototype while we sip espresso and wait, I try the new prototypes on, more tweaking, and the process repeats itself multiple times until we finally reach The Perfect Fit. (Also, side note, I’m wearing two different styles in the picture above, if you’re like me and looked at the picture and thought “that’s not the same shoe!”)

It’s a very collaborative process, and we’re so thankful to our factory guys for being as big of perfectionists as we are- they too realize that the fit of this shoe is just as important as how it looks.

And now we’re in the sample stage- we’ve selected our leathers and finalized our prototypes, so now the factory is making samples of every shoe for us to go out and start showing to stores later this summer. But before we hit the stores there are catalogs to be made, photos to be taken . . . I need a glass of wine just thinking about it.

Happy Monday Everyone!

- Erin

Buon giorno! Greetings from Italia, land of great wine, delicious food, top rate fashion, and, most importantly for us, our wonderful shoe artisans.

We’re here for a week to work on, believe it or not, the Spring/Summer 2014 collection.  Yes, you read right- even though it’s still feeling like Winter 2013 (where are you warm weather?!), we’re already thinking next year.

First stop on our trip was Bologna, where we attended Lineapelle, a world renown leather show. Basically it’s a huge trade show where tanneries from around the globe come to show the newest colors, finishes, and trends in leather, and all the component and accessory companies (buckles, studs, soles, heels, etc.)  display their latest findings as well. It’s complete sensory overload and thank goodness we have a great team to help us navigate through it.

Meet Giuseppe and Michael.

Giuseppe (Left) and Michael (Right)

Giuseppe is part of what I like to call our “Engineering” team. He knows everyone. We walk into the booths at the trade show and it’s like walking in with George Clooney.  You want a sample of a leather but the sales person says you can’t have one at this booth? You go get Giuseppe, tell him what you want, he pulls a pocket knife out of his bag, cuts you a sample right in front of the sales person who told you no cutting, smiles, tells the sales person “grazie” and walks away.  It’s awesome.  He’s Italian, and helps us source great suppliers for all the components of our shoes, from the platforms to the leathers to the trimmings and everything in between.  He and his team are also the ones who turn our technology into reality- creating and testing the prototypes that eventually become the finished product that we send to the manufacturing facility for production.

Michael is the designer who we’ve been working with, starting with this Spring/Summer 2014 collection. He lives in New York, but hails from the Tuscan region, speaks fluent Italian (verrrry helpful), and has tons of experience in the shoe industry. Most importantly, he gets our line. Right out of the gate, his initial sketches were fashion forward, but also fully incorporated our technology so that we maintain our “beautiful shoes without the pain” credo.

Using the expertise of both of these guys, we walked around all day sifting through hundreds of leathers.

Beautiful White Textured Leather

Michael, Giuseppe, and Julie studying a new burnished finishing technique

Mountains of Leather

Erin and Julie at Lineapelle

After the show, we drove back to Florence, drank a glass of wine, and passed out after a very long day.

The next day we regained feeling in our legs (our American thighs were not used to all this European walking . . . sad but it’s so), and headed to meet up again with Giuseppe and Michael and select colors for Spring 2014.

Julie and Michael making selections

Stay tuned.  Next up is testing out the prototypes to make sure the new styles feel as good as they look. Ciao!

- Erin