Net-a-porter.com is always on the hunt for shiny new collaborations that will cut through the e-tail landscape. Its latest offering is nothing short of blockbuster. Aquazzura, the mighty party shoe provider, has enlisted five fine jewelry designers – including several from the Middle East – to give its footwear a seasonal makeover with real pizzazz.
First things first, how did founder Edgardo Osorio become acquainted with Anissa Kermiche, Sabine Getty, Noor Fares, Eugenie Niarchos, and Ana Khouri? “Each woman is not only a designer I admire, but a friend and a woman whose style I love,” he explains. “Connecting the worlds of jewelry and footwear was a fascinating journey and each shoe is as unique as the women.”
Of course, the intuitive Net-a-porter.com shopper also drove the collaboration, which launched on November 23. “These days, there is so much to choose from, so the more original product you can offer your customers, the stronger their loyalty will be,” Net-a-porter.com global buying director Elizabeth von der Goltz tells Vogue. “It’s Net-a-porter.com’s key point of difference; we’ve always been called a fashion leader, and in order to keep leading we need to offer our customers interesting and new collaborations, capsules and products that they can’t find anywhere else.”
For Anissa Kermiche, “designing shoes was a dream I hadn’t explored yet”. The Paris-born jeweler, who launched her eponymous brand in 2016, worked closely with Osorio to turn her signature “Rondeur Triple” earrings into a heel. “The shoe follows the curvy lines of my jewelry aesthetics,” she adds of her geometric creation.
Ana Khouri also incorporated her “Mirian” bracelet into her shoe, but took a more holistic approach to partywear. “As a jewelry designer, you must find a way to accentuate the natural elegance of what are arguably the most beautiful materials found on earth,” shared the designer, of Lebanese heritage. “The work should have an eternal quality… I want it to be ethereal. This was always on my mind when designing the Mirian bracelet, and I felt there was no better piece that translated into a shoe to impart such feeling.”
Eugenie Niarchos, meanwhile, mused over what she would like to wear over the festive period. “I love to mix and match gold and silver, so my shoe combines these two metallic shades,” she said. “And the star detail is a sign of good luck for happy bejeweled party feet.”
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This article first appeared on Vogue.co.uk
