Nope, she’s not another plastic toy akin to Barbie. But I would think that this is a grown up version of a toy for women who love love love shoes! Because MELISSA is actually a shoe label that is fast gaining a foothold in the fashion scene, in spite of the fact that their shoes are made of plastic!
Campana Zigzag
Disco
According to the VP for Marketing of Istila Companhia, the company who thought of bringing in these fun and fashionable plastic shoes, “MELISSA was born in Brazil 27 years ago. Its original stylish plastic shoes took great inspiration from the fishermen of the French Riviera. It was originally aimed to be an alternative to what was common, a fusion of fashion, comfort and style. In Brazil, girls grew up having MELISSA as part of their lives.”
Neon
Esmeralda
Thanks to Istila Companhia, Filipinas will also grow up with MELISSA shoes beginning this July 2007. The people behind the company, a group of young individuals who want to introduce fashion brands that would suit Filipinos’ sense of style, also happen to be shoelovers - with different needs. One prioritizes design when choosing shoes, another puts comfort first, and the other one considers quality/workmanship the most important. Despite their varying concerns, they all found a common ground in MELISSA. Says the company spokesperson, “It’s very fashion forward. And the fact that they are very comfortable is a very big plus! We believe there’s a market for it.”
Scarfun Summer + Alexandre Herchcovitch
Leslie + Judy Blame
Given our wet and dry season, this might just be a much better alternative to flip flops and leather shoes as it may be considered as waterproof, and are pretty easy to clean! It is environmentally friendly too because these plastic shoes are recyclable. Of course, it also helps that the shoes are comfortable because the plastic material molds to the shape of your feet!
Severine
Glam + Alexandre Herchcovitch
Ultragirl
But before you scrunch up your nose at the thought of wearing plastic shoes, be assured that “MELISSAs are actually made of hypo-allergenic patented plastic called MELFLEX™. All MELISSAs have a candylicious scent. The shoes are also lined with fabric inside, so when one wears it, it doesn’t feel like plastic!”
Hmmm…colorful, fun and smells yummy! I feel like a kid in a candy store already!
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MELISSA, whose mother company is Grendene, rediscovered its fashion calling around 1983 and started to invest in partnerships with professionals from several areas. Since then, they have collaborated with different designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Karim Rashid, the designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, and Judy Blame, who is famous for being part of Louis Vuitton’s design team. Supermodel Claudia Schiffer also once graced their campaigns. MELISSA is currently exported around the world across Fashion capitals such as Milan, Paris, New York, and Tokyo.
The Philippines own official MELISSA website www.melissaphilippines.com will be up by June 28, 2007. MELISSA shoes will be officially available in the Philippines by the 1st week of July in the following stores/boutiques:
Mia Bella at Serendra
Culte Femme at Rustan’s Makati and Shangri-La
Mix Boutique at Greenbelt 3
Prices start at Php2495. All nine designs featured in this post will be available locally. Colors may vary.
