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 Stones, natural and synthetic, will find a way to the feet of Brazilian women next spring-summer, according to shoe designer Fábio Marcelo Espíndula. He explains that this concern with adorning the feet has its origins in the time of the pharaohs, in which the sandals of Egyptians were made out of hay, papyrus or palm fiber.
According to Espíndula, even pharaoh Tutankhamun wore sandals and shoes made out of simple leather, despite having them adorned with gold and precious gems.
"Shoes made out of raw leather, tied to the feet with straps made out of the same material, were also common in Mesopotamia (the region that currently corresponds to Iraq). Boots were symbols of high social class, and some had ornaments in metal and stone, despite being simpler than the Egyptian ones," said the designer.
The historic element served as inspiration for many shoe stylists to create their collections. The tendency for the summer should be for the use of many colorful stones that may be natural, acrylic or made out of resin.
"It is worth recalling that, in the past, stone was only used in glamorous trousers for evening dress. However, they have become almost indispensable and are used on everyday shoes now, like sandals, platforms, dancing shoes and others. In these and other models, stones may be used to cover straps, vamps (the upper part of the shoe, where many stones may be stitched together), platforms or heels," explained Fábio.
Saudi Arabia
Shoe manufacturing company Sapatoterapia has already shipped approximately 45,000 pairs of shoes to Saudi Arabia and hopes to increase its sales to the Arab country by at least 30%, says the company's export manager, Daniel Figueiredo.
For four years now, the company has exhibited its products at international fairs held in countries such as Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, among them the Expo Riva Middle East, which had its second edition in February this year, in Sharjah, near Dubai.
The company's leather shoes are assembled manually, and also feature cushioned inner soles made from lamb leather. Thus, according to Daniel, the company does not need to make adaptations of any sort to the shoes it exports to the Arab countries, because, according to the executive, its models, which favor comfort, are very well accepted in that market.
"Saudi Arabia is a very important market for Sapatoterapia, not only because sales are growing each year, but because we consider it a trustworthy country, judging from our history of doing business with them over the years. Thus, it is surely worthwhile for us to continue investing in the country, where our shoes enjoy very wide acceptance," says Leonildo Lopes Ferreira, the owner of Sapatoterapia.
The company was founded in 1994. With its only factory unit based in the city of Franca, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Sapatoterapia employs approximately 150 people.
<img src="/images/stories/2009/oct09/brazil_shoe.jpg" border="2" alt="Brazil shoe with stone" hspace="3" vspace="3" width="90" height="90" align="left" />
Egyptian fashion in Brazilian shoes
Egypt, shoes, leather
Aurea Santos
A Touch of Stone in Brazil's Spring-Summer Shoe Collection
Stones, natural and synthetic, will find a way to the feet of Brazilian women next spring-summer, according to shoe designer Fábio Marcelo Espíndula. He explains that this concern with adorning the feet has its origins in the time of the pharaohs, in which the sandals of Egyptians were made out of hay, papyrus or palm fiber.
According to Espíndula, even pharaoh Tutankhamun wore sandals and shoes made out of simple leather, despite having them adorned with gold and precious gems.
"Shoes made out of raw leather, tied to the feet with straps made out of the same material, were also common in Mesopotamia (the region that currently corresponds to Iraq). Boots were symbols of high social class, and some had ornaments in metal and stone, despite being simpler than the Egyptian ones," said the designer.
The historic element served as inspiration for many shoe stylists to create their collections. The tendency for the summer should be for the use of many colorful stones that may be natural, acrylic or made out of resin.
"It is worth recalling that, in the past, stone was only used in glamorous trousers for evening dress. However, they have become almost indispensable and are used on everyday shoes now, like sandals, platforms, dancing shoes and others. In these and other models, stones may be used to cover straps, vamps (the upper part of the shoe, where many stones may be stitched together), platforms or heels," explained Fábio.
Saudi Arabia
Shoe manufacturing company Sapatoterapia has already shipped approximately 45,000 pairs of shoes to Saudi Arabia and hopes to increase its sales to the Arab country by at least 30%, says the company's export manager, Daniel Figueiredo.
For four years now, the company has exhibited its products at international fairs held in countries such as Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, among them the Expo Riva Middle East, which had its second edition in February this year, in Sharjah, near Dubai.
The company's leather shoes are assembled manually, and also feature cushioned inner soles made from lamb leather. Thus, according to Daniel, the company does not need to make adaptations of any sort to the shoes it exports to the Arab countries, because, according to the executive, its models, which favor comfort, are very well accepted in that market.
"Saudi Arabia is a very important market for Sapatoterapia, not only because sales are growing each year, but because we consider it a trustworthy country, judging from our history of doing business with them over the years. Thus, it is surely worthwhile for us to continue investing in the country, where our shoes enjoy very wide acceptance," says Leonildo Lopes Ferreira, the owner of Sapatoterapia.
The company was founded in 1994. With its only factory unit based in the city of Franca, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Sapatoterapia employs approximately 150 people.
Anba
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