French touch in Stella Luna shoes

Young French fashion designer Anthony Vaccarello used to be only associated with chic garments, but recently, he produced some footwear for the first time, and he created them for a Chinese shoe brand.

Stella Luna, the Shanghai-based shoe brand that has gained popularity among fashionistas in the past five years, has a collection named "Stella Luna pour Anthony Vaccarello". As its name suggests, it is a collaboration between the brand and Vaccarello.

One can sense the Gothic touch in the colors chosen - black and scarlet, as well as the leather, shiny fur and metallic material. Elements like zips and bracelets are also included in high heels and open-toes, giving the collection an edgy style.

"The spring/summer collection is inspired by the swimming suits, and how it brings life to the city. We start with girls putting bracelets on their ankles," Vaccarello says.

Sitting in Stella Luna's flagship store in Beijing's Sanlitun, the 33-year-old designer appears a bit shy. He speaks in a low voice, trying to explain the difficulties of designing a pair of shoes.

"It is not technical (difficult). For the footwear, making them comfortable is the most important thing. For garments, you can be more crazy with more images, more trends, but footwear has to be something more: easy to wear, comfortable."

In terms of inspiration, it is the same for clothes and shoes, he says.

"The whole image is important. I have a woman in my mind. It's always the same woman, same idea of dressing. She is more like Charlotte Gainsbourg, a French singer. She is also my friend.

"I always love to design shoes. It's like playing with proportion," he says.

Vaccarello is a rising star in the fashion industry. His creations attracted super models like Gisele Bundchen and Anja Rubik. He used to work for Karl Lagerfeld under Fendi for two years before he started his own brand in 2008. In 2009, the designer launched the first ready-to-wear collection in Paris, and it was a success.

In 2011, Vaccarello outdid five competitors and won the Association Nationale pour le Developpement des Arts de la Mode Fashion Award with a 200,000-euro prize. In the same year, he made it to the Paris Fashion Week.

Stella Luna's chief designer Steven Chi met Vaccarello at a friend's gathering in Paris in 2012.

"His designs are very unique, and it occurred to me that we could collaborate somehow," Chi says.

Vaccarello admits that he has never known of any Chinese brands before working with Stella Luna. However, the brand's shape, graphic and color interest him, so he did not turn it down when Stella Luna sent a collaboration request.

"The brand is only helping us in technical things, but there is no restriction in my creations," he says.

The most impressive thing about working with a Chinese brand is its quality and reaction time.

The designer says when he sent the company his drawings, he could see those real products in several days.

"They are very precise. I was amazed by the quick reaction of their factories," he says.

Stella Luna, famous for its straight lines and simplicity, will work with Vaccarello in the upcoming seasons.

Vaccarello says he will also like to share some thoughts with other Chinese fashion companies if opportunity arises.

gantian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/10/2014 page22)