It's meant to be the everyday pair that goes with everything: a clean, low-profile court shoe with a perforated toe, a padded collar, gold-tipped laces and a serrated-edge cupsole.
The story lives in the colorways. The Sampaguita and the Carabao each layer leathers and suedes in close tones, drawn from the national flower and from the water buffalo of the Filipino farm.
Finding the colorways
Colorway research started from Filipino food, plants and animals, sampling a small palette from each.
Two made the cut. From the plants, the sampaguita, the national flower. From the animals, the carabao, the water buffalo of the Filipino farm.
Silhouette and render
Line sketches tested the collar height, the toe and the panel lines. The chosen shape was then rendered in the carabao colorway on a gum sole.
Two colorways
Each colorway layers several leathers and suedes in close tones, so the shoe reads as one color from across the room and shows its texture up close.
Sampaguita
Named after the national flower. Instead of one flat white, the upper layers off-whites and creams like overlapping petals, so it looks soft and dimensional instead of stark.
Carabao
Named after the water buffalo of the Filipino farm. Black leather and suede borrow its strength and matte, weathered texture: rugged, but refined enough to dress up.
First to final prototype
The first prototype came back in cream on a gum cupsole. The final pairs moved to a white serrated cupsole, with the layered leathers and suedes of each colorway, made by hand.
Details
The small parts carry the premium feel.
