Roland Mouret expands footwear presence

Designer Roland Mouret is dipping his toes further into the footwear market. The designer, who is famous for being a favorite of actress and soon to be British royal family member Meghan Markle, has collaborated with L.A.-based shoe brand Newbark for a capsule collection. Newbark, founded by stylists Maryam and Marjan Malakpour, is known for their androgynous, minimalist aesthetic including their brogues and loafers.

“It was nice to collaborate with a brand that focuses on flat shoes, it’s so relevant today. For me, [the collaboration] offered another approach to understand what women want. I wanted my customer to see how these amazing flat shoes can fit into their life and be the perfect accessory to any of my clothes,” said Mouret to WWD. “Maryam and Marjan are the embodiment of women who inspire me, women who I respect — they understand what the right product is, that women need in their life. That’s what I loved.”

The collaborations includes three styles, a loafer, lace-up sandal, and leather slipper. The patterns, a monochromatic black and white leather or a floral print, were inspired by Mouret's recent runway show.

In honor of the collaboration, the designers photographed a series of images featuring Maryam Malakpour dressed in Roland Mouret ready-to-wear pieces with coordinating shoes.

A limited 195 pairs of the collection were released today currently being sold at Roland Mouret's flagship stores in New York and London and on rolandmouret.com. Price points for the collection range from 364 pounds to 514 pounds.

Mouret is hoping this is just the beginning for him and his collaborations, as he hopes to find more collaborative partners to keep introducing new products. As collaborations have become a way for designers to introduce new products throughout the year outside of what they show at their spring/summer and fall/winter runway shows, they are becoming a core part of fashion business.

photo: via Rolandmouret.com