Make Formal Fun
When it comes to formal events, black dress shoes are the standard without a doubt. The question is, among a sea of tuxedos and black ties, how do you set yourself apart from everyone else? In other words, how do you make formal a bit more fun? We asked this question and after some experimentation we developed the answer -- The Black Collection.
So what is the Black Collection exactly?
We wanted to do something that wasn’t limited to a specific style dress shoe or type of leather, something that we could apply across all of our men’s leather shoes if necessary. The answer came in the form of the color black itself.
The challenge we gave ourselves was to create a unique patina that enables us to play with this powerful color. Some distinct detail, that similar to our other men’s shoes and finishes, gave a nice pop. We thought since the color black absorbs light, how do we reflect it?
In our lab in Barcelona, also known as the kitchen, we played with layers of patinas upon different leathers to cook up a number of different men’s shoe and patina combinations. We initially developed a black patina with a cream finish that gave our black shoes a unique shine, but thought that we could do something a bit better. After multiple rounds of trial and error and a number of interesting results, we found the answer.
Our Black Collection is the development of a subtle yet rich black patina that reflects sophisticated colors under different forms of light. From one angle all you see is a black shoe, but from others, hints of blue, bordeaux, grey, or brown peek out of our black patina, a unique color combination that you won’t see with any other shoe brands. The patina process provides us with the flexibility to not only include our more formal shoe styles such as our Oxford Shoes and Wholecuts, but also our Decon Chelsea Boots and Derby Simple Shoes.
Our Black Collection is now available for purchase in our Oxford Wholecut Shoe, Oxford Cap Toe Shoe, and Decon Chelsea Boot online and in store. Each pair is hand patinated and professionally polished by our team of artisans in our Barcelona atelier and shoe boutique.
If you’re visiting Spain, be sure to visit our atelier and men’s shoe store in Barcelona, see our Black Collection in person, and try on one of these styles. You’ll also have a chance to meet Norman Vilalta in person, get professionally sized, and also see the full collection of our men’s leather shoes and boots made proudly in Spain.
Now when someone asks you “how do you make formal fun?” you have the answer. Spruce up that black tie event, stand out at your office, and give your black outfit a unique touch with shoes from our Black Collection.
