SHOESSERIE: setembro 2009

When WGSN says you should watch a brand, it is not something to be ignored. For those who do not know, WGSN is the world’s bigger forecaster which picks up trends years before it is translated to the streets of the main capitals. Pay attention here for I did not say they are a fashion forecaster. WGSN is actually working in many other fields, including design and lifestyle industries.

Last July I was invited by a friend to visit Francal, the biggest Latin American fair for leather and leather accessories, which brings 1,875 buyers from 79 countries. I left slightly disappointed from only really liking 2 brands I saw. Let me explain myself. Brazil is well known for its savoir faire in leather, meaning there are plenty of leather goods to choose from. There is the cheap and average quality, and then there is the more expensive, hand-stitched and higher attention to detail and quality. If you live in London, it is likely that you own a pair of shoes made in Brazil. Kurt Geiger and Aldo are famous brands that have most of their shoes made in Brazil. Kurt Geiger is sold in most of London’s luxury department stores (Selfridge’s, Liberty and Harrods, to name but a few) and have many stand alone stores all over the city.

What disappointed me was the lack of creativity and shoes that could turn me on. And believe me, they have to be pretty dull for a shoe addict like me to not like shoes. So the 2 brands to come to my attention were the only ones that actually made me want their shoes. I will not mention the first name for a simple reason, despite the shoes being stunning, beautifully executed. The designs were copies of shoes I had seen a season before at the catwalks of NY and European Fashion Weeks or in the catalogues of brands like Jimmy Choo and Nicholas Kirkwood. Yes, they were very desirable but nevertheless I could easily identify the copies.

The second brand was Shoesserie, based in Sao Paulo at the trendy borough of Vila Magdalena. So, it was not surprising when I received a report from WGSN pointing Shoesserie as one of the more interesting brands found in Francal and a brand to watch in Brazil. As I discovered later, it was not the first time Shoesserie was featured in WGSN. It has preeviously been featured at a ‘Where to Shop’ Sao Paulo guide. The Shoesserie shop was one of WGSN crew’s favourite, and was called the place to find ’sexy and colourful’ shoes.

I’m glad to see Brazil’s contribution to fashion is not limited to bikinis and the export of top models !

Shoesserie is the brainchild of Jenniffer Nocceti, fashion designer graduated in LA and based in SP. With her is Ronaldy Fraga who form the design team. The duo is sure to come up with something glamorous and girlie every season.

You do not need to be WGSN to forecast Shoesserie is on the right track. I bought 2 pairs and have a few more on my wish list… Do I need to say anymore ?