IT STARTS WITH A SKETCH

From designers dreaming up colours and silhouettes, then putting them on paper with gorgeous illustrations, to craftsmen making these sketches come to life and us getting to see and try the final product in store, and taking them home to add to our collections... this is the marvellous journey of a fab pair of shoes.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

“My team always smiles at me as we start working on a new season, because they find my creative thought process quite amusing. But you know what? I love the fact that I design a collection thinking unlike anyone else, I was never one to conform…”

– Mary Alice Malone of Malone Souliers, known for its references to the conceal-and-reveal sexiness of the ’50s and boyish, charismatic It girls of the ’70s.

“ The Cage mini is the lightest minimal sandal for maximal glamour. The perfect expression of modern and joyful femininity.”

– Pierre Hardy. The Parisian designer launched his eponymous brand in 1999 and his most iconic shoe is the graphic and innovative Blade stiletto.

“Without fantasy there can be no change. You need fantasy to avoid stagnation to move forward.”

– Manolo Blahnik. The Spanish designer, who designed his first shoe in 1971, was encouraged by renowned fashion editor Diana Vreeland to “stick to the extremities and make shoes!”.