MARIæN footwear – from neoclassical to pop

A collection always springs from a creative impulse. From personal passions. From your cultural background. From the desire to share your own aesthetic taste with others. This was the alchemical brew that gave life to the MARIæN brand with its with Spring/Summer 2022 debut. Its creator is Mariano La Barbera. A native of Sicily, he surrounds himself with the work of his mother and grandmother, both seamstresses. His passion for drawing kindled an interest in the history of art and then mythology and, later still, in the literary classics that would influence his artistic development. His dreams of designing haute couture brought him to Milan in 2000. There he worked on accessory collections for Diego Dolcini, Romeo Gigli, MSGM and Vivetta. But 2020 was a turning point, when his efforts finally culminated in the creation of the MARIæN brand, a distillation of his experience and creativity.

The first collection ranges from classic court shoes to sandals to ankle boots with high and medium heels; their names recall women from ancient classical literature: Venus, Ninfa and Calliope. The colours alternate pastel shades, light blue, pink and yellow with brighter colours such as red or mirrored surfaces of silver, gold, cherry and sky, without, of course, forgetting the simple elegance of black and white. In today’s fashion world, creativity is intrinsically bound to the themes of environment and nature, and Mariano has come through with natural leathers and fabrics, traced, recycled or regenerated and certified under European standards. Even the packaging is environmentally friendly: a self-assembling box that is made of 40% algae from the Venice lagoon and is completely recyclable. The result is a feminine collection that lavishes attention on details and materials and at the same time is kind to the eco-system.