Summer is a time for experimentation and colour and a favourite stop of ours is Levels Shoe District in the Dubai Mall. Among the fresh, vivacious talent are, Edgardo Osorio of Aquazzura and Alessandra Lanvin of Aperlai, two of footwear’s hottest designers. The former takes a spirited approach to style and the latter a soft, sensual one, but with each just as stunning a choice for the summer sun as the other we talk to them about art, inspiration and lucky pineapples.
Edgardo Osorio, Aquazzura
The gold pineapple is a symbol of good luck, it attracts good fortune. I love the thought of wearing a lucky charm on your foot everyday!
It’s a very simple concept; beautifully made comfortable shoes that allow women to be more beautiful and sexy. Oscar de La Renta once said that you should walk like you have three men behind you. When you wear my shoes, you should have five men behind you!
She’s a modern woman who probably has a busy and active life and still wants to look beautiful at anytime of the day, so I make sure my shoes are also comfortable. I think all women, no matter what age they are, want to look young and beautiful and I try to address this need.
I love colour, life is in colour! I think a beautiful emerald or electric blue shoe can make the most simple outfit look amazing.
It started with snake images from Guido Mocafico and then it developed into a story of the desert and jungle. We took inspiration from snakes of the African jungle to develop the colour and prints and then we took the colour palette of the desert nudes, sandy hues and metallic. I wanted to create a tribal look but in a very sophisticated and urban way.
I was born in Cartagena, raised between Miami and London and have lived in Florence for the past nine years - Aquazzura mixes all of these elements. It’s an Italian style but with a Latin flair and an American ease. As a Latino man, I like to make women look sexy and beautiful but never ever Vulgar.
Very honoured since they’re many talented designers out there. In less than three years we’re already sold in 38 countries around the world and this makes us feel very proud.
Quite simply, it’s the best place to shop for shoes in the world. If you love shoes, Levels is your shoe heaven!
Alessandra Lanvin, Aperlai
It takes its name from the ancient Lycien city in Turkey, a 20 minute boat ride away from my family home where lies a nest of happy memories and summer feats.
That's more about the Aperlai DNA - graphic and pure lines, essential sophistication, strong design, yet feminine.
Shoes have the power of expressing a woman's state of mind or feelings, without saying a word.
Sexy, sophisticated, modern, comfortable and with that “je ne sais pas quoi” that makes you feel confident!
I think that the women of the region are very sophisticated and at times they pay even more attention to their style choices than Europeans. Plus it's always sunny so they look for more colour choices!
Yes, we share the same vision and unique approach - they understand the relationship women have with their shoes and they present them with that in mind, as jewels, sculptures, unique artefacts. We loved their project from the start.
The world of art has the biggest influence on Aperlai designs and is the base of the creations. Surrealist iconic elements appeared for the AW12 collection; SS13 was the turn of Amerindian Art; the palettes of Picasso and Mondrian were proposed for AW13, and Ettore Sottsass inspired SS14 and AW14 collections.
New technical fabrics like PVC, vinyl and rubber are mixed with luxury and exotic fabrics. Contrasts are always interesting and add a fresh touch.
To me they mean timeless elegance, craftsmanship, unique design and quality.
