French Shoe Brand Adieu on Why ‘Make Heels for Women’ Is the Worst Advice They’ve Ever Gotten and More
Christian Allaire
Fashion Editor
For Footwear News Emerging Talent 2017, the fashion team selected 32 of the most promising and progressive names in shoes to know right now. The specifications we looked for were both formalized and guided by editorial instincts, drawing us to a diverse mixture of personalities that fused originality, intuition, verve, business savvy, on-point branding, quality, point of view, personality, cool factor, unwavering style and passion.
ADIEU, Isabelle Guedon and Benjamin Caron
LAUNCHED: 2011
BASE: “Paris. We are both from the seaside — from Les Sables d’Olonne — and came first for studies in Paris,” said Guedon.
MADE IN: “Portugal, in the same factory since the beginning. Adieu took two years before it was launched, because we were looking for the right manufacturer.”
SHOP TALK: Le Bon Marché, DSM London and Ginza, Lane Crawford, On Pedder, 10 Corso Como Seoul.
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BACKSTORY: “I worked at Christian Lacroix, Emanuel Ungaro, Guy Laroche
and Yves Saint Laurent. Benjamin Caron and I have known each other since our adolescence, when Benjamin was already obsessively drawing shoes. In the late ’90s, he created his first collection of handmade creepers shoes.”
WORST ADVICE: “You should make heels for women.”
WISE WORDS: “To surround yourself with the best people for press and production, because you cannot do it all by yourself. And do not compromise.”
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: “When Adieu was 2 years old, Benjamin welcomed Rei Kawakubo in our store, because she saw an article in a Japanese magazine. Marion Cotillard also arrived in our store, because she discovered our shoes from her friend Caroline de Maigret. Another time, we got a call from the Chanel couture studio to warn us that Kristen Stewart wanted to discover our brand. An hour after, she arrived with her stylist and chose 11 styles in the collection.”
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