British luxury footwear brand Malone Souliers is translating its colorful aesthetic to children’s shoes with the launch of Minismalls, a new line for young, stylish girls 3 to 10 years old.
The new range will debut with one key style for spring 2017. The brand’s founders, Mary Alice Malone and Roy Luwolt, chose the signature Robyn flat — a pointed-toe, strappy style — and re-created it for smaller feet with a rounded toe and a variation of colors and textures, including bright glitter, soft suede and nappa leather.
The collection, which goes on sale in February, was made with the same methods and materials as the main women’s line.
“The collection has been designed in direct response to the wishes of our clients whose daughters have long had shoe envy for their mothers’ Malone Souliers, which, due to their impressively evolved tastes, are naturally hard to find in toy stores,” said Malone, the brand’s creative director.
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Luwolt, the brand’s managing director, added that a children’s line has always been an “intended phase,” and after seven seasons and retail growth, the timing seemed right.
Malone Souliers has gained popularity for its lace-up styles and bold use of texture and print. The brand is stocked at a number of key retailers including Net-a-Porter, Matchesfashion.com, Boutique 1 and Farfetch.
Last season, it also launched runway collaborations with London-based designers Roksanda and Pringle of Scotland, as well as with the model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova.
The brand plans to continue working with both Roksanda and Vodianova for the children’s label and will debut a series of collaboration pieces for Minismalls at its fall 2017 presentation, which will take place on Feb. 19 during London Fashion Week.
Prices for the debut children’s line start at 195 pounds, or $243 at current exchange. The range will be stocked as of next month on the brand’s own website and at the Dubai Mall’s Level Shoe District.
Creating miniature versions of popular styles has been a growing trend among footwear designers. London-based Sophia Webster launched a mini line in 2014 to coincide with the birth of her daughter, re-creating her whimsical butterfly-adorned heeled sandals into flat pumps for children. Aquazzura’s Edgardo Osorio recently spun his popular and widely copied pompom-embellished sandals and laced ballet flats for babies and toddlers, with the aim of creating a brand new generation of Aquazzura customers.
