The Journey of a European Shoe
By Michaela Longstaff, Mikko Shoes founder
Did you know the making of single pair of artisan European shoes involves more than 200 pairs of hands to create the finished product? There is so much that goes on behind the scenes before our wonderful customers see our lovely shoes and handbags in store at Mikko.
If you’ve ever wondered about how this special process works end-to-end, I’m happy to share! Read on to learn about how our stunning European hand-crafted shoes make it to New Zealand’s shores.
Part one – sampling and ordering:
Each of our brands spend several months in the design, development, and sampling process, in preparation for their seasonal collection releases. This is the time to try out new ideas and technologies before refining their designs, in time for the European shoe fairs (more on those later!).
There is much to consider during the design phase, including key shapes, material development, trim development, as well as ergonomic considerations, like sole tread and cushioning.
When the time comes for the shoe fairs, we attend these both locally and internationally, about 12-18 months in advance of the collection landing in store (you read that right – before we even start selling summer 22, we’re looking a full year ahead at summer 23!)
This is when I view samples, ranges and hold in-depth consultations with my team to ensure we are bringing the most stylish and highest quality offering – and what we believe will be the most loved styles – to New Zealand.
Over the years we have nurtured trusting relationships, which shows in the love and care that goes into everything we do. Each brand we work with are all family-owned, just like we are. During this time, I also keep a lookout for new brands with special stories to complement our existing house of artisan designers.
Once we’ve earmarked our favourite styles, we then curate the range in-house before placing orders. This ensures we’ve covered this season’s shapes and categories with exciting newness, points of difference and, of course, classic wardrobe staples. All decisions are underpinned with four key principles: quality, style, comfort and value.
Part two – production:
While we wait patiently, our brands are busy in Europe refining shapes, ordering leather and materials, and beginning the construction process. Mikko’s brands are hand-made in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and more, with incredible attention to detail spent on every pair. Our artisans each specialise in different parts of the construction process to ensure a finely crafted final product.