Centennial brand Pedro Garcia strides confidently towards the future
Think party, wear daily.” Such is the rationale behind the centennial brand Pedro Garcia’s stylish, sparkly yet ultra-comfortable sandals and shoes.
The finest crafts on the planet that stand the test of time are those that have been nurtured and carefully passed down from parent to child through generations and centuries. So it is with quiet luxury Spanish footwear brand Pedro Garcia which celebrates its 100th year this year. This family business was founded in 1925 by Pedro Garcia Amat, in the region of Alicante where the esparto grasses used for espadrilles grow. Using only the finest leather and other materials, he started with children’s and baby shoes before adding a line for men. Then his son Pedro Garcia Vidal added a women’s line and grew the brand internationally. Today, third-generation siblings Mila and Pedro Garcia act as CEO and creative director, respectively, and fourth-generation Zahara and Candela Garcia are already on board.
This low-key brand commemorates its centennial with a series of events at premium retailers all over the world such as Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom in the US, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, Selfridges in the UK and Adora in the Philippines, among others. These include the launch of its capsule collection Essentia which features sandals encrusted with mother-of-pearl from the Philippines, handwoven silks from Italy, Swarovski crystals and fine, high-quality vacchetta leather. Made from the sturdier shoulder of the cow, this supple, vegetable-tanned leather is the choice of exclusive, luxury brands.
Pedro Garcia III was in Manila for the first time to meet Eman Pineda and the Adora team; sign copies of Seasons, a book marking the brand’s story in a travelogue through Spain; and interact with clients, celebrities and media. I had an inspiring and insightful conversation with Pedro to learn more about his family’s dynamics, the design process and the business of nurturing a brand that looks forward to the next 100 years.
The best example of the “think party, wear daily” concept are these sandals whose thin straps are embellished with fine crystals, while sporting what is called an anatomical bottom, meaning for everyday use. The combination of innovative designs, technical skill and the best materials has put Pedro Garcia footwear on the radar of celebrities, Americans who learned that they are the best for navigating Europe’s cobblestone streets and now Filipinos whose lifestyle and the brand are a perfect fit.
Pedro III and his sister Mila joined the family business in the early ‘90s after their father, Pedro Garcia Vidal, encouraged them to follow the family tradition. He took them on trips to New York, Miami and Germany to show them the fun side of the business. Pedro III already knew that he liked design, graphic design, photography and fashion.
“Why don’t we give it a chance?” said Pedro III. “It quickly grew on us. In a couple of years, we were a hundred percent dedicated to the business, to make it grow. We knew that our commitment to the company was going to be big, we had to design, manufacture and distribute, which is a lot of work.”
He smiled wryly and said, “When you’re young, you’re a little bit ignorant. Now, when I look back through the years, it’s been a fun journey but not an easy one, that I can tell you! Every generation gave to the business what they had to give it. My grandfather was at the roots of it, he was an artisan, a hardworking man. Then my father was a brave man with more education, he had the drive to grow the business. He showed us that when you’re passionate about something, you’re gonna have fun, though sometimes you have to suffer a little bit!”
He added, “It was important that my wife, Dale Dubovich, whom I met in New York when I was at the Fashion Institute of Technology, came with me.”
His wife is an American from New Jersey and Pedro considers it an advantage that she is directly on the team.
“She is the main reason why our shoes are so comfortable, sometimes I have to tell her, ‘You’re a pain in the ass, why do we have to do this step?’ ‘You don’t wear the shoes!’ she replies, and I’ll say, ‘Okay, okay, you’re right.’”
Pedro explained, “Comfort is not something we have to strive for, it comes in a very organic and natural way. It’s a signature of the product and we realize that the way we construct shoes is comfy, our clients keep telling us this all the time.”
The design process for them “is not starting from zero — a collection is a continuation from the past, a story that started 30 years ago.”
Pedro pointed out, “Of course, my conversation now is a little bit more mature but still the same principles. The way we design is based on materials. You must have an understanding of the craft to know what technique to apply. Not for every material do you use the same technique, you need to have a good understanding of the process.”
Asked about sources of inspiration, his surprising answer was, “Inspiration comes from problem solving because in the process of making the collection, you’re going to have obstacles …this is too hard, we have to make it softer…take the reinforcement out… then it becomes too soft. This process makes it fun.”
He added, “If you come up with a good solution, then it’s a good design, a practical design. We don’t want to just ornament shoes. You need to have a good base, then you can add a little detail but the base needs to be solid. Then, no two feet are the same; even if you have the same size, each country has its peculiarities about width, instep, heels so to make a fit that becomes a standard is challenging.”
He shared, “The family business is not an easy thing, but it’s the best. If you work for something you feel is not yours, you will not have the same passion. This centennial year has been very emotional for us because we want our grandfather and our father to be happy with the book and all these centennial events.”
Pedro III credits his father with being a good mentor. “He was the first to understand that we have to make mistakes; if you don’t make mistakes you’re not gonna learn. I saw him taking risks, but risks that were meditated. He would never give you an answer just like that. He would say, ‘Let me think about it’ or let pass a few days. Then he would say, ‘Remember what you asked me the other day? Why don’t you try this?’ He was not imposing, he gave us the freedom to make mistakes.”
Pedro now applies this to his nieces Zahara and Candela who are the fourth-generation Garcias in the firm. “I try to balance, I have to listen to what they say and, in turn, they have to see what we have done, the whole journey from Pedro I to me and my sister. In the last 35 years, we have put the name on the map. It’s difficult because you have your own ideas and sometimes, I still have so much I want to say but the transition has to be made. So I have to say to myself, ‘Pedro, shut up and let them talk.’ It’s better that they make some mistakes. Now, there are no more Pedros, I have no kids but my nieces are still Garcias, it is still family.”
The best part of the job for Pedro III? It’s the communication campaigns because he likes photography, graphic design. “The best part of the day — in the morning, I stay home with my wife and we work on the more creative part of the collection, then in the afternoon, I have a meeting with my technicians. I talk to my nieces about AI and big data, these are just tools and there has to be a person behind the tools. The person is the one that gives personality to the product. You have to find your own voice, what do you want to say, what kind of product you want to work on, who is your client. AI is not going to give you the big solution, it just makes you go faster. Sometimes, you need to take risks, you have to be the one taking the decision. Sometimes, you have to do the opposite of what data is telling you. But measure your decisions and don’t make them too drastic so you can make corrections. But risks? You have to take them.”
The centennial capsule collection of Pedro Garcia, as well as the regular lines of flats and shoes with heels, comes in a range of designs, colors and materials that demonstrate the brand’s flair and understanding of a woman’s hectic, modern life where she juggles many roles. Even the heeled shoes are the epitome of comfort.
With this family committed to the excellence and craft handed over a hundred years, Pedro Garcia is set to confidently stride into the next 100 years — in comfort and style.
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Pedro Garcia is available at Adora, Greenbelt 5. A purchase of a pair, which comes with a specially designed centennial box, entitles you to a copy of Seasons, a beautiful book so thoughtfully curated and beautifully photographed all over Spain.
