Founder’s Note
I AM IN LOVE WITH SHOES AND SHOE-MAKING.
Candyce, Emilia, Iva, Joanna, Veronica and Vicky and Lori’s mum Magdalena
Backstage after our first campaign shoot
London, 2019
I was four when I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer, because I liked to draw people and not houses. My god-mother was a dress-maker, so that was my fate. But it wasn’t until a friend took me to Dover Street Market for the first time and I saw a stunning sculptural pair of shoes, sitting on their own on top of a white plinth, that I realised footwear could be something to do. This took me to the Royal College of Art MA program and to some of the most inspiring brands that I had looked up to for so long.
But after years of working by the industry’s rules and bringing other designers’ vision to life, I felt it was time to propose a new, fresh and uncompromising take on low impact modern luxury.
I wanted to create something precious, something desirable and meaningful, and to find an ethical approach to shoemaking.
THIS IS HOW IVA MINKOVA CAME TO BE.
I built the company with three principles in mind.
LOVE OUR MAKERS
I have always found joy in working closely with pattern-makers, manufacturers and suppliers, who bring ideas to life and I started the brand in the hope of supporting traditional craftsmanship.
At IVA MINKOVA, I want to know the people that make our product and trust that they love it as much as we do.
We make the shoes in a small family-owned factory in the Italian town of Vigevano. One time they told me:
“We put our soul in the work. We try so hard to make everything perfect, and if it isn’t, it’s because it can’t be made better. It is artisanal”
That is the moment I knew, I knew for sure that I was in the right place. I knew that this was my forever.
LOVE OUR PLANET
There is nothing more inspiring that the pride and passion with which true artisans work, and there are no products more beautiful than the ones that combine their love with the highest quality materials.
Read about how we pick our materials
But even the best, most ethically sourced materials are a precious resource that impacts the planet. By only having a made-to-order offering, I pledge to use only what is truly needed and desired to make my customer’s dreams come true.
LOVE WHAT WE DO
I put my heart into what I create and it makes me happy to know that it makes someone else happy in turn. I hope to encourage my customers to buy less and cherish for longer. I want to give them a pair to last forever as a token of a special moment in time.
xix Iva