It is with a little recklessness that the two thirty-something Marine Braquet and Paule Tenaillon embarked on the entrepreneurial adventure in 2019. These two former Chloé employees then bet on creating their own brand of shoes, with one idea in mind: “To democratize luxury craftsmanship. » For this, they partner with a recognized shoe factory, located in the village of Montopoli, in Tuscany. Nomasei (for hand, the “hand”, in Italian verlan, and yes, for “six”, to insist on the idea of a job that requires several hands) is thus born.
“We create anti-woman object shoes: for us, comfort is not a negotiable fact. For this, we are always inspired by a model of work shoes”, says Paule Tenaillon, in charge of design, while Marine Braquet keeps an eye on strategy and finances. When the duo wanted to create a pair of lace-up boots, the designer immersed herself in the history of ranch women, herdsmen or cowgirls – much less present in the collective imagination than their male counterparts.
“The first lace-up utilitarian boots happen to be worn by cowgirls. They were much more functional than the thin, arched ones of the Victorian era. These courageous women were solidly shod to do this job long reserved for men,” details Paule Tenaillon, who imagined a leather model that is both robust and delicate with a 4 centimeter heel, a thick sole and a curved upper on the ankle. It is all the imagination of the American Far West that she has encapsulated in this creation naturally baptized “Rodeo”. As with all other Nomasei shoes, all the materials used come from suppliers located within a radius of 30 to 40 kilometers around the factory, to reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing.
Rodeo boots, Nomasei, €475. nomasei.com