“I was quite shocked by the bananas,” said Christina Martini, the creative director of Greece-based footwear range Ancient Greek Sandals. Let us explain: Martini, who designed shoes for Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton in Paris before launching her line of handmade leather sandals with business partner Nikolas Minoglou in 2011, was approached earlier this year by Carven’s Guillaume Henry. The designer asked her to create a collaborative range of gladiators for his tropical-tinged Resort ’14 collection, and apparently, he requested the fruity look. The result is a capsule of surprisingly graphic wares, which, having debuted at Carven’s Resort presentation yesterday, are offered in three heights and a palette of black, nude, and, of course, banana yellow. “They were easy to design but difficult to make, because all the bananas are at different angles,” offered Martini, who notes that cutouts and hand-stamping were particularly difficult. “And we had to make sure that the tall styles fit nicely on the leg.”
No stranger to runway collaborations, Martini has also worked with fellow Greek designer Marios Schwab on footwear capsules for the past two seasons, and notes that she pulls inspiration from ancient Greek jewelry, ceramics, and classical sandals (hence the name) when creating her collaborative and signature styles. Crafted in Greece using traditional techniques, Martini’s shoes are available at over eighty locations worldwide and online at the label’s Web site. The Carven kicks will start at about $320 and hit stores during Resort ’14 shipments.
—Katharine K. Zarrella
Photo: Courtesy of Ancient Greek Sandals
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