Gypset lifestyle brand Figue is getting serious about footwear.
The five-year-old brand is launching an Italian-made line of proper shoes made for far-flung exotic locales and city sidewalks alike for pre-fall.
Beginning with three core styles, the shoes align perfectly with the modern boho vibe of the brand’s embroidered ready-to-wear. Previously, the brand offered sandals and slippers made in India for more casual loungewear, retailing from $195 to about $350. As its first shoe offerings gained traction at retail, it was a natural evolution for the brand to introduce a more developed line.
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The new collection takes its cues from Yves Saint Laurent‘s Moroccan period, in line with Figue’s global lifestyle design approach. So much so, that the key style is a pointy-toe flat mule based on the traditional Moroccan babouche slipper mixed with a traditional Venetian gondolier shoe. According to founder and designer Stephanie von Watzdorf, it suits two moods: the heel can be worn flat and open, or folded up to cover the foot. She adorned them with beaded Egyptian beetle appliqués, a staple motif for Figue, as well as the popular eye motif. “They are the eyes on the world,” von Watzdorf said. “Both the eyes and the bugs symbolize protection.”
The slippers come in napa leather, velvet and an artisanal-cut leather with a fringe effect that at first glance looks like sequins or velvet. The color palette runs from deep jewel tones to quirky magenta and mustard yellow. Other styles include a chunky-heel bootie in the cut leather in three colors — named for Betty Catroux — and a disco-dancing-ready platform called the Lou Lou (after Loulou de la Falaise), also in suede and velvet. Both styles are also detailed with bugs and eyes; the boots sport a pair, while each platform style displays one eye on the upper.
Retail prices start at $495 for the leather version of the Moroccan slipper, with velvet styles ranging from $550 to $625. The artisanal cut leathers range from $550 to $695. The collection will launch on Moda Operandi with a trunk show planned for later this month.