My friends, I have discovered something amazing. A Spanish shoe company called Carmina. Carmina was started in 1997 and is based out of Mallorca. Until yesterday afternoon I had somehow never heard of this company, however, it was love at first sight. Upon seeing the store at 4 Avenue de l’Opera I walked right in and what I immediately saw were some of the most well designed mens and womens shoes I have ever seen. The salespeople in the store were exceedingly courteous, friendly and helpful. I asked the gentleman if Carmina was sold in the United States and why I had never heard of it. He essentially said that the Spanish are rather modest and as such Carmina does not spend its money on marketing, but on quality products. From my observation this is very true.
The shoes are Goodyear welted and the leather is on par with Alden and Crockett & Jones, if not better; it was extremely smooth and supple. They also use Horween cordovan, which is some of the best in the world. The construction of the shoes also looked to be very fine. At least on the level of Alden and Crockett & Jones, if anything higher. The prices ranged from 250-350 euro for calf leather and around 450 euro for cordovan. I also recommend checking out the Carmina website at Carminashoemaker.com.
Since my visit I have discovered that Carmina is available in the states in Palm Beach. I have set a goal for myself to get them to New York. I could see Leffot, Barneys or Bergdorf carrying them. Not sure how I will begin this mission and I doubt it will be easy, but thats not going to stop me from trying. Enjoy the photos
[…] or really anything made in Northhampton for English shoes. For a little difference take look to Carmina (Spanish) or Septieme Largeur (French). For made to measure suiting I recommend MySuit or Mr. […]
[…] you don’t, check out my Carmina store visit. Yay. Wingtips are my favorite lace up. The color of these was pretty nice in person and the […]
[…] I also hope to also discuss Animas Code, a company out of Spain (where my favorite shoe company Carmina is from) who also does ready to wear and has a similar customizable platform (including one womens […]