Designing Alex for Head Over Heels
Notes from Greta, Buyer

Buying trips are always busy, but Milan during MICAM is on another level.

The exhibition halls are enormous, and every aisle is lined with shoe brands. Boots, heels, sandals, leather in every colour imaginable and thousands of styles all competing for attention. After a few hours of walking the halls it can start to blur together, and it’s actually quite difficult for something to stand out and feel truly different.

One display caught my eye from across the hall.

At first it was the colours, rows of shoes arranged in bright tones under the lights. Very different to our Head over Heels curation. As I got closer I realised the shapes were beautiful. The designs were sculptural and confident, a little different from what I had been seeing all day. I picked up a pair, felt the material, and tried them on.

The comfort was immediate, and the craftsmanship was obvious. Among the hundreds of brands surrounding it, this small stand felt distinctive. The brand was Alex.

I could see the potential for Head Over Heels straight away, although I also knew it wasn’t quite right for us yet. Our boutique has a very particular identity and our customers are very discerning. I had been thinking especially about our Trippen customers. For some time I had been hoping to find another brand that could sit alongside Trippen, something equally distinctive and thoughtful in its design, but still with its own personality.

Alex had that spirit, but it needed to feel a little closer to our store.

Not long after, I met Giuseppe, who began telling me about the brand. Alex is a small family operation with a tiny factory in Italy, producing only around ten pairs of shoes each day. Every pair is made slowly and carefully, and it was clear from speaking with him how much pride they take in their craft.

I told him about Head Over Heels, about our Christchurch boutique, the brands we curate and the women who wear our shoes. He listened carefully and seemed genuinely interested in the way we approach buying for the store.

During the conversation he suggested that we could design a collection together. In my experience this is very unusual. Buyers normally choose from a brand’s existing collection, perhaps adjusting a colour or material. Designing an entire range specifically for one boutique almost never happens.

So we sat down and began working through ideas.

We started with the foundations of each shoe, selecting sole units and building from there. Then we explored silhouettes, adjusting proportions and shapes until they felt right for our store. We talked about how the shoes should sit on the foot, how structured or soft each design should feel, and how the materials would behave over time.

From there we moved into the details, the leathers and textures, stitching elements that define the character of each style, and colours that would bring the collection together.

Gradually the collection took shape.

What emerged was Alex designed specifically for Head Over Heels, with each element carefully considered for our boutique and the women who shop with us.

For a brand as small as Alex to offer this level of collaboration is quite extraordinary. It speaks to the openness of the company and their belief in genuine partnerships.

Working with Giuseppe and his team has been a pleasure. They are thoughtful, passionate people who care deeply about what they make, and we feel very fortunate to work with them.

Seeing Alex in the store now feels particularly meaningful. Each time a pair finds its way home with one of our customers it reinforces why we care so much about thoughtful design and craftsmanship.

We are already working with Alex again from New Zealand to Italy to develop the next collection. New shapes, materials and ideas are already being explored for next year.

In a short time Alex has become an important part of our store, and we are excited to see where the collaboration goes next.

EXPLORE THE COLLECTION