Giuseppe Zanotti and Faith Connexion will reveal their first co-branded shoe tonight at Paris Fashion Week, FN can exclusively reveal. The black satin evening sandal, which features encrusted jewels, comes adorned with a leg warmer that gives it a streetwear edge and rock ‘n’ roll vibe.
The buy-now, wear-now style will be available to shop starting tomorrow at the Faith Connexion flagship store in New York as well as online. It retails for 790 euros, or about $973 at current exchange.
“Our Collective has such an energy that is flowing all the time with ideas. We had these images of “Flashdance” going through our head. This shoe represents who we are.” said Maria Buccellati, president of the collaborative Faith Connexion brand — the hot Parisian ready-to-wear label that has been generating major attention among fashion insiders and amassed celebrity fans such as Beyoncé.
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Zanotti said the idea was to mix street style and glamour. “Faith Connexion picked one of my signature heels, very feminine and refined, and then interpreted it in their way,” the designer said. “The result is very of-the-moment: it’s an evening shoe that can be worn both during the day and night — feminine and strong at the same time.”
For the designers, teaming up was a natural step, Buccellati said during a walk-through of her fall ’18 collection in Paris last week. “I love Giuseppe’s work, and he’s supported me in many of my projects in the past,” she said. “He loves our brand. I invited him to our runway show [last March] and he couldn’t come but his son did. The next day, Giuseppe called and said, ‘I want to do your shoes.’ And that’s when we started.”
Going forward, Buccellati said she would like to develop the partnership. “We’re looking into doing a full collection. This is just a teaser,” she said, noting that only about 100 pairs of the shoes will be available. “Hopefully everyone who loves it will get it. Saying exclusive today isn’t cool. It’s more about being inclusive,” she said.
Buccellati, herself an avid shoe collector, said she has Zanotti shoes in her closet dating back 20 years. “That’s why I’m so excited about this collaboration,” she said. “Giuseppe treats every piece like a jewel.”
