Melissa
by Beatriz Acosta
posted on Wednesday July 18, 2007
From Grendene S.A., Brazil’s fashionable footwear giant, comes Melissa! The sensation that has enchanted fashionistas across five continents has finally arrived in the Philippines!
From sexy stilettos to fabulous flats, Melissa shoes has styled and glamorized jelly shoes, and has brought comfort to footwear with much chic and character.
Melissa arrived this month in Manila, and as of last week, one of the shoe styles was already sold out, and ladies have been cleaning out the stores of its inventory by buying a style in every color available! Shoe addicts are warned - once you see these jelly shoes for yourself, you will definitely need your Melissa fix!
Melissa breaks through the boundaries between art, fashion, and design. Through the use of the latest cutting-edge technology, Melissa brings to life the creations of world-renowned visionary designers. The result? Melissa shoes not only look great, but they are also extremely comfortable. With Melissa, style is never compromised when enjoying comfy footwear.
Fantastic Plastic
Each Melissa shoe is formed using Melflex™, an advanced material composite which molds to the shape of your feet. This material has characteristics which provide improved elasticity, impermeability and resistance. That makes each pair of Melissa a perfect fit! To demonstrate its flexibility, Joanna Co, VP of Marketing for Istila Companhia, grabbed a Campana shoe and curled it on her hand.
They have also created Velvet Melflex™ to seduce the fans of velvet. What's so great about the velvet plastic is its durability, and... it's water resistant! Absolutely perfect for the rainy season!
Also, since Melissa is created from mono-materials, the products can be easily disassembled and recycled. Solid, liquid and gas residues, left over from the production process, are recycled and dealt with in-house. Nothing leaves the factory without being properly treated, resulting in practically zero waste!
Joanna hands me a Melissa shoe and says "Smell it," Umm, smell the shoe? So I did, awkwardly, and then my eyes lit up. I love the smell! It has a mouthwatering candylicious scent to remind one of her best childhood moments. Shoes that you can actually sniff for fun? Amazing!
A Celebration of Design
Melissa transforms plastic into objects of desire, an authentic sculpture, a work of art. Plastic is the chosen medium to communicate technology and renewal. A global fashion icon, Melissa has manufactured over 50 million pairs of shoes in the past 25 years, and in the past was even endorsed by supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
Recognized worldwide for its creative interpretation and multi-ethnic styles, Melissa has a selection of talented design partners who fell much in love with jelly that they created amazing and beautiful pieces with the unique material.
The Campana Brothers and Alexandre Herchcovitch
My personal favorite is the Campana Zig Zag (P2495) by the Campana brothers Fernando and Humberto. The flats that have a web-like design and embellished with glittery material. They look so comfy for long walks and great to use when on a shopping spree.
Campana
Scarfun
The Scarfun (P3195) designed by Alexandre Herchcovitch is beautiful too, a glamorous wedge-heeled shoe perfect for nights out. It's so beautiful in fact that it's the shoe style (in black) that was immediately sold out here in Manila, with Melissa not even being a month old in our city!
Melissa shoes come in all shapes and colors -- from chic and sophisticated one minute, to bold and sassy the next. For now, there are around 25 fabulous shoe designs and colors available in the Philippines, and there are more Melissas to come soon! Melissa shoes are the perfect accessories for fashionable women everywhere.