A Filipina Designer Creates Exclusive Custom Shoes Mixing Spark with Comfort
Doreen Odvina loved shoes with a passion. After being an avid consumer, albeit dissatisfied with the comfort of her shoes from different luxury brands, she took the leap in 2021 and opened the first-ever Filipina custom shoe atelier.
As a child, Doreen said she was always attentive to fashion, “beautiful things,” and insisted on gold, silver, beadwork, and glitter on her shoes.
However, despite her love for fashion, Doreen chose to study Information Technology because, at the time, IT was becoming a highly sought-after and well-paying field that would allow her, as a young single mother, to build a stable career and support her daughter’s education.
Although it was far from her passion, Doreen said she enjoyed most of her time in IT, valuing her colleagues’ intelligence and learning best practices from big companies. She applied skills she learned over her 15-year IT career, working with airlines and cruise lines, developing websites and mobile apps, and learning about AI chatbots.
Doreen remained a shoe lover, but whether she bought expensive brands or more affordable ones, her feet still hurt. Sacrificing beauty for comfort was not in her book. Shortly before COVID-19 hit, she took the leap and left the corporate world. She decided to open her shoe atelier on the 2nd floor of the Peninsula Manila, a five-star hotel situated in the central business district of Makati City.
Custom-bridal shoes as a perfect match with a wedding dress
The hotel closed during the crisis, but her shop remained open, welcoming clients with masks, face shields, and swab tests. What could have been a challenging beginning turned into a big opportunity. As Doreen explained, during the pandemic people had to contend with civil weddings and few guests. “During that time, many brides were choosing shorter wedding dresses, which allowed them to show their shoes. We started with a significant number of clients who wanted their footwear to be just as beautiful and eye-catching as their gowns.”
Despite the challenging times, success was immediate as she discovered that many women experienced painful feet and loved sparkly, intricately decorated shoes.
Custom-Made Shoes for every occasion
Doreen Odvida’s shoes are custom-made, and every pair is designed according to the client’s needs, personality, and occasion. Doreen’s customers are mainly brides-to-be along with clients celebrating their birthdays, night galas, and commemorations, she said.
Clients come to the shop to have their feet measured and select the material they want. The shoes are made to fit their measurements for optimal comfort.
The orders’ specifications, along with the raw materials, are prepared and sent to the company’s factory in Marikina. After about six weeks, the shoes are ready for fitting at the shop to ensure a perfect fit, she explained.
Beyond women, the company offers men's and children’s lines. The company also has a limited, seasonal collection of ready-made shoes for customers with unexpected urgent needs.
Doreen Odvina custom shoes can be ordered from anywhere in the world. Customers are taught to measure their feet through a live video call, and the shoes are then shipped. Currently, the brand serves customers worldwide, particularly in the United States, Dubai, Australia, and New Zealand.
Marikina-made shoes designed by Doreen Odvina
Tired of experiencing sore feet from luxury shoes, Doreen started studying their anatomy by taking them apart. She realized that many imported brands use specific raw materials to achieve a specific quality.
She slowly learned as much as she could about shoemaking. By the time she created her brand, she was ready. She turned to Marikina, home to the country's best craftsmanship, to manufacture her designs. The city’s shoemaking history began in 1887, and by the turn of the 20th century, it had become a town of shoemakers. It is now called the shoe capital of the Philippines.
The company established a factory in Marikina, employing shoemaking talent and overcoming resistance to the introduction of manufacturing innovations and techniques, such as new adhesives, memory-foam footbeds, and other new raw materials. According to Doreen, by addressing customers' needs, the company integrates this experience to marry old Marikina craftsmanship with its own innovations.
Bespoke women shoes with customizable designs
For the 43-year-old designer, inspiration comes from different avenues. “Sometimes my inspiration will come from a piece of music that I heard,” she said, recalling how her “Bloom Collection” came from a musical inspiration, bringing images of springtime and flowers to her mind. Her travels also feed Doreen’s inspiration, as she crossed paths with famous global Filipino fashion designers like Michael Cinco, based in Dubai.
“My inspiration also comes from how I feel,” she said, adding that she created a design after watching the movie “Barbie,” featuring a collection of customizable designs in the color pink.
Her distinctive touch and designs are at the core of the company, as Doreen Odvina’s brand reflects her personality: feminine, bold, elegant, and maximalist. Talking about her creations, she said: “I wanted a piece of art that is wearable.”
Ending the beauty-or-comfort dilemma for party shoes
Clients appreciate the uniqueness and versatility of Doreen Odvina’s shoes. Their comfort and lightweight design make them easy to wear even beyond the wedding or special occasion. “The purpose of each pair doesn’t have to end when the celebration is over.”
The men's line uses the finest leather and a creative combination of materials, like full-grain cow leather and suede.
In the next five years, Doreen hopes to change the game by innovating custom shoemaking. She also aims to widen the market, make it easily available to everyone globally, and continue promoting the craftsmanship of Filipino shoemakers.
