Food for the sole

Ask any woman worth her salt to name one thing that she cannot live without, and she will invariably say... her shoes. Even the most anti-fashionista will have a selection of footwear stashed away in the dark recesses of her closet for no one but her to see.

And while styles and trends come and go, the one thing that never changes about shoes is the need for quality and exquisite craftsmanship.

While many luxe brands cater to that need, the trend overseas is slowly turning to one of the most luxurious forms of pleasure for one’s feet outside the spa — made-to-order shoes.

Manila’s footwear fanatics, not to be left behind in terms of style, have been in on this trend for a few years now.

Their secret — Solea, a little shop in Rockwell that provides personalized and limited-edition footwear to the city’s well-heeled.

“It’s important that the shoes I make look sexy on the foot,” Emi Jorge, Solea’s creative mind, says.

Limited editions

Solea has taken simple Marikina shoemaking and elevated it to art. Visitors to any of their shops are treated to the sight of exquisitely designed footwear that — and this is important — only a few people in the world can claim to own. “Our shoes come in a very limited number,” Emi says. “Would you rather own shoes where a million copies were made or something only you (and maybe a few others) have?”

For people who take their shoes seriously, there is only one answer.  And for those who insist that their footwear be one-of-a-kind, well, Solea can help them out in that area as well.

The store is proud to name designer Rajo Laurel as its first customer, and a big part of the inspiration behind its made-to-order line. “He was really young, (maybe) not yet 20. He was my first client. That was the start of Solea. We started to do made-to-order then,” Emi says.

“Our shoes are 90 percent handmade,” Emi says. “When the shoe industry started in the Philippines 50 years ago, almost everything was handmade. We still do that now.”

The result: all of Solea’s shoes, whether made-to-order or limited edition, are handcrafted. They are products of real labor, which fits perfectly with the sustainable fashion trend that is sweeping the globe.

Shoes as art

Just last year, Solea came up with a special collection which was exhibited in Greenbelt 5 in the summer. The collection, which was conceptualized on paper before being constructed in leather and fabric, featured materials not usually used for footwear, such as silk organdy, which, like paper, creases when folded. Here, Emi went wild, coming up with unique but wearable designs that really drew attention to its wearer’s feet. Of course, not everyone is brave enough to wear such eye-catching footwear. “There are people who don’t like having too much attention on their shoes, while other people crave that. I can wear just a black dress and the shoes. It’s all about the shoes,” Emi says of the footwear in her exhibit, some of which are seen in the pictures accompanying this feature.

“(The) difference between bags and shoes (is that) shoes can make you look sexy. A bag is just nice to look at,” Emi says.

Just a look at Solea’s summer collection confirms this. The collection is awash with colors, and comes in styles suited to summer’s humid weather. Some of the most popular styles are open-toed sandals made in a variety of materials such as fabric and exotic skins. As with all of Solea’s made-to-order lines, each design is limited in number.  

“The focus is always on the basic lines, so they’re more structural,” Emi says, “If you look at the flats I have, you don’t see the (usual) straps adorned with flowers. I know flowers are big now. I knew that early last year but I could not get myself to put flowers (on my designs). So it became stylized shapes of flowers. I find myself always going back to organic shapes... I (also) like the luxe look.”

Food for the sole

When it comes to Solea’s made-to-order shoes, anything goes. A lot of clients, a big number of them brides, come in with pictures of the shoes that they want made. Those who want more unique footwear can also have their dream soles made into reality. Having shoes made to order can take anywhere from two and a half to four weeks, including consultations and fittings. Many things are taken into consideration, such as comfort, heel height, and of course, how the shoe looks on the foot. Sometimes, Emi makes the shoes herself.  “Especially with the couture ones, which can’t be done by others,” she says.

Testament to Solea’s sense of design and quality are its customers, some of who have been loyal since the store first opened. Until now, the shoes worn in Rajo’s shows are made by Solea. “(It’s) because we feel that we started together,” Emi says.

When asked about the footwear trend in the Philippines, Emi surprisingly answers that in some ways,  the country may be more fashionable than some of its Asian neighbors. “But it just represents a small part of the population,” Emi says, “(Like) the fashionistas and the people in the (fashion) industry.”

A lot of whom, we bet, get their shoes from Solea.

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Solea is located at 2/f Power Plant Mall and M2 level TriNoma. It’s also available at Bonne Bouche, 2/f Greenbelt 5.