Here they are finally!
Our first sneakers for women are arriving!
We hope that these will be sneakers that you will be able to use with all the rest of the women's collection to come.
You understood, we wanted to make them an essential pair of sneakers for the future BonneGueule wardrobe for the woman who will gradually expand.
All by capitalizing on our experience of men's sneakers regarding materials, assembly, shape and sole.
Here is what we will see in this article:
- a sneaker made in Portugal,
- leathers from Italy,
- and a high-end sole also made in Italy.
Please note, we wanted to remain cautious in terms of quantities, there are only 200 pairs planned for this weekend's launch .
The goal was to have a design with a touch of singularity, simple to wear every day, while having a premium “feel” thanks to the quality of the materials.
For our first sneaker, all the girls from the product department tried the prototype, and as usual, we iterated prototype after prototype: here we shorten the length of the tongue, there we put a little more space, we refine the line to gradually achieve the result we want.
Why this design?
Singular & Daily
Talking about the design of a pair of sneakers is always a delicate exercise, because it's all a question of intuitions and feelings.
In the case of this sneaker, we were inspired by the design of our Japanese wagyu beef leather sneaker , a very popular model since its launch, then we wanted to add a few touches of color.
Let's talk about the color of the back yoke. It was a source of intense debates with the product division.
I especially didn't want a color that was too "pink", because I found it too basic. So we agreed on this deep terracotta on the heel .
To balance everything out, we decided to put a terracotta border all around the tongue.
That said, the product department insisted on adding a slightly softer touch of color: that's where they got the idea for this vegetable-tanned, undyed leather insert in the shape of a border, which goes slightly darken with time and use to symbolize the beauty of a patina.
Italian leather (and a little bit of Portuguese leather)
Flexibility & Durability
AN ITALIAN LEATHER FROM MASTROTTO
The leather (whether white leather or terracotta leather) comes from Mastrotto, a well-known Italian tanner. It is full-grain bovine leather, called “rectified”: this simply means that a film has been applied to give it its white color and “smooth” it.
On the environmental side, they are certified Gold level by the Leather Working Group, an organization which evaluates the environmental practices of tanneries, according to their in-house protocol. For example, it measures the quantity of recycled water produced, the energy required to tan a given quantity of leather, etc.
Gold certification means that tanneries have implemented industry best practices. Knowing that the protocol becomes more and more strict each year, this is a pretty good sign!
A Margom sole: a sole that I love
or why can I talk for hours about this sole...
A sole that has a lot to tell...
Yes, you are about to read a paragraph about a white sneaker sole.
Usually, this is a detail where women's brands communicate very little, if at all in the majority of cases.
While it is a crucial element for the durability of a pair of shoes, especially when, like at BonneGueule, we refuse to consider that the sneaker is a “disposable” pair of shoes!
But unfortunately, this is also an element where it is very tempting to skimp a little on quality to save money, telling yourself that in any case, the quality of a sole and its supplier do not interest customers...
You can feel it when you press the tip of your thumb into the sole, or when I risked doing it on a few women's sneakers while walking around the store, I noticed that most of the time, it was singularly lacking in firmness. , a sign of rubber that can wear out more quickly.
Now that you have heard my cry from the heart regarding the quality and durability of a sole, let me introduce you to my favorite Italian supplier: Margom.
A very mysterious factory, but which supplies the most high-end sneakers from around the world...
The Margom sole, a must-have for high-end sneakers
Margom's very minimalist site reveals their state of mind: the focus is on the quality of the sole, and nothing else.
Founded in 1972, Margom has earned a reputation for excellence for two reasons:
- the quality and durability of their soles: with several decades of experience in rubber vulcanization, Margom enjoys incomparable and sought-after expertise,
- the precise lines and proportions of the soles: their soles have refined designs that cross generations without wrinkles.
This is why Margom supplies (or has supplied) all the most high-end sneaker brands: Common Projects, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, Buttero and many others…
And it is one of the very few suppliers to stamp each sole with its now famous logo:
The famous Margom logo, synonymous with quality and durability. Photo credit: Margom
It is a company that has chosen to grow very slowly in order to maintain total control over the quality of their soles.
“Run our large business with a small business mentality.”
Margom
And it’s still a family business! Giuseppe Aimone, the founder, runs the company, and it is his three daughters who take care of purchasing, administration and international business development.
Despite the development of the company, Giuseppe, the founder, still wants to directly supervise the key activities of the company, always with the desire to offer one of the best possible qualities for his soles.
“But Benoit, why do you attach such importance to this sole? It’s just a sole!”
And to illustrate this, I am going to open my heart and talk (very) lightly about my private life.
Imagine that when our white sneakers for men came out in 2018, with a Margom sole, I gave a pair to my partner at the time.
It quickly became one of the pairs of shoes she wore the most, all types combined, her "no brainer" part whenever she had to move somewhere or travel.
Thanks to Julie Marques (JMP Céramique.com) for lending us these magnificent chamotte corn stoneware ceramics
In short, she made intensive use of it. And I really closely monitored the condition of the sole. And three years later, after several hundred ports, they are still fully functional.
There you have it, Margom quality, that’s it .
It's being able to have durable sneakers, with a proven sole.
An insole with a cork film
A signature element of our sneakers
The insole is covered with cork, for several reasons:
- cork has anti-odor properties,
- it also has antibacterial properties , to prevent the formation of fungus,
- it’s a very good thermal insulator , whether it’s hot… or cold!
- it has good moisture absorption capacity.
It is also a Portuguese cork (logical, given that the supplier of the sole is Portuguese).
Why “only” 200 pairs?
Because we want to take the time to go step by step (this is the case for a pair of sneakers), to get to know our first customers well, to take the time to listen to their feedback, in short, to do things in the right order at the right pace.
I have absolutely no idea how fast this pair will flow, which could take several tens of minutes/hours/days.
Where to get these sneakers?
They will be available at 11 a.m. on our eshop and in our stores in Paris in the 6th and 3rd arrondissements , in Lyon and Bordeaux !
📣 Opening of our store in Lille 📣
For our first weekend open in Lille, they will be available in very limited quantities in our brand new store at 16 rue Lepelletier from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Lille.
To avoid missing anything:
And in the meantime?
We have restocked our first women's capsule, so there are a few pieces left:
