In a Gilded Age of towering stilettos by the likes of Blahnik, Choo and other high-rise shoe brands, it's got to be refreshing for the lady of a certain style standard to find relief in flats that are as chic as they are comfortable. Add environmentally and animal friendly and you have the kind of flats and shoes that can please whole cross-sections of shoe fetishistas: Uptown Lady, Downtown Diva and West Coast Conscientious. That's pretty much the essence of Melissa Shoes, the Brazilian brand of ecologically-inspired flats and other shoes that is finally having its international moment under other suns.
Eclectic, ecocentric and exclusive, Brazil's Melissa Shoes isn't just big in Sao Paulo anymore. Rather, the equatorially hot maker of fabulously wearable, simple and chic eco-friendly women's flats and other stylish shoes is now on the shelves at Bergdorf's, Fred Segal and select other exclusive boutiques after a celebrated and exclusive run at no less than Paris's haute-est shop for the cognoscenti-of-cool set , la inimitables Colette. And that is saying something.
Part trendy boutique, part fashion concept space, Colette is internationally known for it's unrivaled selection of the Moment's latest looks, from books, magazines, music, design and, of course, eternally world-class style, ala Marc Jacobs, Dolce&Gabana, Miu Miu and Dries Van Noten, et al. So major that it doesn't even have a sign on the door, Colette is literally a world-class destination for everyone from the fashion world's tent-pole shoppers to quirky, edgy French kids who know how to rock smart style. When shoppers discovered yet another one-of-a-kind brand in its storied midst, the latest Melissa Shoes flats edition designed by Brazilian design brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana, cash registers struck a note. Suddenly Melissa flats and shoes found themselves on the floors of America's most storied coastal boutiques -- and a couple of hot ones in between.
Thankfully, you won't see PETA chasing after the Campana brothers on Melrose Avenue, considering the brand's uncompromising commitment to eco-friendly products; Melissa Shoes makes flats and shoes with a real reverence for the ground they walk on. For every heel, flat, child's clog and sneaker produced by the brand is literally made of one of the least ecologically sacrificial materials there is: plastic.
Come again? Yes, ma'am, plastic. All synthetic derivatives here. There is no leather, no animal anything, this is 100% animal preserving and environmentally conscious. The flats and shoes of all styles are even recyclable, something highly recommended by the brand itself. And for those who doubt how a hardcore eco-friendly, plastic (!) shoe can be stylish and comfortable, no less, consider not only it's present cache, but the brand's history: years of co-sponsoring Sao Paulo Fashion Week; a repertoire of limited editions and trend-starting styles by prominent, world-class designers; and an array of both collectible and wearable looks that range from flip-flops, Romanesque sandals, scented shoes for girls and real, serious stilettos.
And now the Campana brothers add their casual yet distinct collection of flats and shoes inspired by the classic flat to the latest edition of Melissa Shoes. Part ballerina shoe, part day slipper, these sculptural flats, available in shimmery gold, silver and black, evoke a woven, intertwining and string-like textural aesthetic that looks like anything but traditional plastic, with delicate, airy and artful spaces between the material for feet to breathe.
When you're wearing environmentally friendly styles from Melissa Shoes, one might say it's never looked so conscientious to be utterly, unapologetically plastic.
Not living in or in the market to travel to New York, Los Angeles or Paris and interested in the Melissa flats and shoes? If you're in the Midwest consider Michigan-based Complex boutique, just minutes outside of Detroit in the suburb of Birmingham, one of Midwestern America's most fashionable and unlikely style-driven communities. Complex, inspired for the sole purpose of being a provider of uniquely chic but otherwise coastal or European niche style and design offerings, is Middle America's answer to the Fred Segals and Colettes of the world.
Eclectic, ecocentric and exclusive, Brazil's Melissa Shoes isn't just big in Sao Paulo anymore. Rather, the equatorially hot maker of fabulously wearable, simple and chic eco-friendly women's flats and other stylish shoes is now on the shelves at Bergdorf's, Fred Segal and select other exclusive boutiques after a celebrated and exclusive run at no less than Paris's haute-est shop for the cognoscenti-of-cool set , la inimitables Colette. And that is saying something.
Part trendy boutique, part fashion concept space, Colette is internationally known for it's unrivaled selection of the Moment's latest looks, from books, magazines, music, design and, of course, eternally world-class style, ala Marc Jacobs, Dolce&Gabana, Miu Miu and Dries Van Noten, et al. So major that it doesn't even have a sign on the door, Colette is literally a world-class destination for everyone from the fashion world's tent-pole shoppers to quirky, edgy French kids who know how to rock smart style. When shoppers discovered yet another one-of-a-kind brand in its storied midst, the latest Melissa Shoes flats edition designed by Brazilian design brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana, cash registers struck a note. Suddenly Melissa flats and shoes found themselves on the floors of America's most storied coastal boutiques -- and a couple of hot ones in between.
Thankfully, you won't see PETA chasing after the Campana brothers on Melrose Avenue, considering the brand's uncompromising commitment to eco-friendly products; Melissa Shoes makes flats and shoes with a real reverence for the ground they walk on. For every heel, flat, child's clog and sneaker produced by the brand is literally made of one of the least ecologically sacrificial materials there is: plastic.
Come again? Yes, ma'am, plastic. All synthetic derivatives here. There is no leather, no animal anything, this is 100% animal preserving and environmentally conscious. The flats and shoes of all styles are even recyclable, something highly recommended by the brand itself. And for those who doubt how a hardcore eco-friendly, plastic (!) shoe can be stylish and comfortable, no less, consider not only it's present cache, but the brand's history: years of co-sponsoring Sao Paulo Fashion Week; a repertoire of limited editions and trend-starting styles by prominent, world-class designers; and an array of both collectible and wearable looks that range from flip-flops, Romanesque sandals, scented shoes for girls and real, serious stilettos.
And now the Campana brothers add their casual yet distinct collection of flats and shoes inspired by the classic flat to the latest edition of Melissa Shoes. Part ballerina shoe, part day slipper, these sculptural flats, available in shimmery gold, silver and black, evoke a woven, intertwining and string-like textural aesthetic that looks like anything but traditional plastic, with delicate, airy and artful spaces between the material for feet to breathe.
When you're wearing environmentally friendly styles from Melissa Shoes, one might say it's never looked so conscientious to be utterly, unapologetically plastic.
Not living in or in the market to travel to New York, Los Angeles or Paris and interested in the Melissa flats and shoes? If you're in the Midwest consider Michigan-based Complex boutique, just minutes outside of Detroit in the suburb of Birmingham, one of Midwestern America's most fashionable and unlikely style-driven communities. Complex, inspired for the sole purpose of being a provider of uniquely chic but otherwise coastal or European niche style and design offerings, is Middle America's answer to the Fred Segals and Colettes of the world.
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