What's the main concept behind the brand?

To create comfortable high heels. All roccamore shoes are made with built-in orthopedic insoles that shape your foot to walk as anatomically correct as possible in high heels. I spent 2 years developing the insole together with an orthopedic shoemaker who has 15 years of experience correcting feet, and just recently they were tested by CORH to make my shoes up to 44% more comfortable than other high heels.

 

When did you get the idea to create the brand? 

I think a comfortable high heel is something many women dream about. When I was working as a shoe designer in Florence, I used to walk around in heels all day long. I had so many pretty shoes, but walking around the city, at fairs and out to dinners for 10-12 hours straight, would just kill my feet. My Italian colleges managed their pain with freeze-spray, you know, the kind that soccer players use for injuries. I was never a fan of that concept, so, I began to think of the inside of the shoe and how to develop an insole that could correct my feet and make it easier to walk without the pain. And roccamore was born!

And how has the experience been? 

In the beginning, it was just for me, I didn't understand that other women would think of this being a good idea, but then friends started contacting me, wanting the insole and when friends of friends also started calling, I knew, I was on to something.

I never really meant to become an entrepreneur, it just sort of happened, one step at a time. Suddenly we had a Kickstarter campaign going on, in 30 days we raised 45,000 euro and suddenly everything happened very fast. I went to Spain to produce the first collection, which was shipped in august 2015 to all the backers of the campaign, plus people that has bought through the pre-order webshop we had set up in the meantime. 

The first production was good, but having worked only with luxury goods, I felt that the quality could be better. So, I decided to change factory and moved everything to Tuscany, where I then produced the next collection at a small family-owned factory that only worked with high-end brands. Today, my shoes are made by some of the best shoemakers in Italy, along side brands like Valentino, Escada and Tabitha Simmons. 

It took me a year to get everything into place with the new factory. In September 2016 we got the first collection, hand-made in Italy and it was such a satisfying feeling to see those pretty boxes with my logo on.

Since then I have made 2 new collections and several new models. All the designs are developed together with my customers and Roccamore's online friends. I follow their feedback closely, listen to critic and develop new models based on their expressed needs. Finally I put all my designs to an online vote and only produce the best ones, while always naming them after inspiring customers and women I admire.

How does the insole technology work?

It's actually very simple; think of the insoles of your running shoes and then imagine them inside a pair of high heels. That's basically roccamore. The insoles in your roccamore's are a bit better than the ones in you running shoes though; they are orthopedic designed to respect the shape of your foot and mildly correct it into walking as anatomically correct as possible in high heels.

 

What are the essential materials used?

All my shoes are hand-made from some of the finest Italian leathers. I only use calfskin, suede and nappa, which come in all colours and so many different textures, that you can always find what you need. It's the perfect material. And the best part is that it's a bi-product of the meat-industry, so no animals were killed just for the sake of making the shoes. All insoles are made from a breathable, shock-absorbent latex.

 

Where did you train, practice design?

I took my design education from the famous Italian design school Polimoda, in Florence, where I stayed for 6 years to work as a shoe designer for, amongst others, Ferragamo, Prada, Elisabetta Franchi and Mermaid Shoes, before returning to Copenhagen to start my own label.

 

Are you inspired by any other designers? 

Oh, god, yes! There are so many talented designers in the world, it's impossible to keep up with them all. I really enjoy the designs of Charlotte Olympia, she is incredibly talented and I love the humor in her designs. I'm also a big fan of the atmosphere around Casadei, Aquazzura and Gianvito Rossi. All three designers use amazing details in their designs and are incredible at creating small stories, almost pieces of art, more than actual footwear. Very inspiring!

How has the company developed up till now and what's on the agenda now?

Roccamore started as a passion project, like a baby, but I feel that slowly we are growing, learning how to stand on our own and transforming into a more established brand. It's a wonderful adventure and I have many dreams about where we are going next. Eventually I want a pair of Roccamores on every modern woman's feet!

 

How can we get a pair?

If you live in Copenhagen, you can always drop by our showroom and try on a pair, if not, we are happy to ship a pair to you. You can find us at roccamore.com; on facebook: Roccamoreshoes; and Instagram: roccamore_shoes; and we are always ready to help you by email at [email protected].