Biography
Founder and designer Theresa Ebagua has always had a knack of turning ‘ordinary’ into something very special. She has childhood memories of taking shoes to the cobbler in hopes of achieving a better design and fit. As a teenager, she fell in love with the details and shapes found in vintage shoes. Unable to find the same intricate shoes in department stores, she scoured flea markets for vintage shoes to mix into her wardrobe.
Despite a successful career in Information Technology, Theresa wasn’t fulfilled. On a flight from London to Los Angeles, reading an article on the history of shoes, she had her epiphany! Why not make her own shoes…? With that fearless decision made, Theresa went back to basics, enrolling in a shoemaking masterclass in Milan, spending months working alongside artisans in Italian factories. Now, there’s no element of a shoe that Theresa doesn’t understand but her biggest insight is the most simple: “You’ve got to be able to wear them.”
Theresa’s inspiration comes from a collection of objects potent with memories and reminders of places traveled - the antique textile from a Nigerian flea market perhaps, or a vintage ring from an estate sale in LA. Woven into her designs are Theresa’s long-standing loves and interests; the Art Deco movement, the sights, colours and artifacts of her native Africa, and historical French fashion. She fuses raw and archaic influences with classic French feminine style and polishes them off with a modern edge. Theresa positions herself as the customer at the end of the production line, considering not just the design process but also the woman who will be wearing it, and how she will feel, “I am my own customer; I want my customers to feel what I feel in my shoes – confident and empowered, with a bold sense of style and self.”
