Designer's Note - Fleek

Our sculptural toe-thong mule.

Quintessentially nineties, just like Kate and Calvin, the toe thong is our favourite detail right now. A decade we love for its personal nostalgia, refining and reinventing the era’s design signatures is a challenge we return to often.

For our Fleek mule, we tasked ourselves with incorporating sculptural details and challenging lines. The offset cuboid heel is carved from wood and features bevelled corners, bringing an architectural sensibility to this stable shape.

High cut top-lines are a key look for us right now, especially in sandals where they allow us to conceal and reveal the foot as we choose. The oiled edges of the leather we used help accentuate the simplicity and minimalist aesthetic of a higher cut topline.

Getting the height of the top-line right is important, as we must ensure it’s high enough but that it doesn’t choke your foot. We created three samples to get the positioning correct, and in the end we also incorporated an elastic gusset for added comfort.

The placement of a toe-thong is equally strategic for comfort and foothold; too far one way and it constricts your toes, but too far the other way and it feel insecure. This detail also took us a few attempts to get right, and we made sure to fit our samples on a range of different feet. The outcome? Our dream mule, with the perfect nod to the nineties.