My Five Years with VIVAIA: How One Pair of Shoes Carried the Dream of Change

Before founding VIVAIA, I had already spent over a decade in fashion and was eager for a new challenge. Then one evening, my wife looked at her shoe cabinet, sighed at a pair of new heels, and said: “They look amazing, but after half an hour my feet are swollen. Why can’t beauty and comfort go together?”

That question hit me hard. Beauty shouldn’t live only on display — it should live in daily life. Why couldn’t women’s shoes be as innovative and comfortable as sneakers? If sneakers could evolve so rapidly, why not heels and flats?From that moment, I knew what I wanted to build: a shoe that was not only stylish but genuinely wearable. And that’s how VIVAIA was born.

Once I stepped into footwear, another challenge quickly surfaced: sustainability. After years in fashion, I had seen firsthand the waste of leather factories. Environmental issues felt so overwhelming, I often asked myself: What difference could one brand possibly make?

The answer came in the most unexpected way. At a party in the U.S., I noticed two young women chatting while casually picking up plastic bottles from the ground, laughing as they did. In that moment, I realized: sustainability isn’t about grand gestures — it’s about small, everyday choices.Later, I discovered that these bottles could be recycled, spun into threads, and woven into fabrics — even shoe uppers. Suddenly, sustainability wasn’t just a philosophy, but something we could literally put underfoot.When we finally created our first pair of shoes and the response was unforgettable. Our female colleagues wore them for a week and came back saying: “These shoes are comfortable enough for the commute — and no one believes they’re made from bottles!”That was the moment I knew: sustainability doesn’t have to mean compromise. It can mean comfort, style, and real value that consumers can feel every single day.

Every milestone VIVAIA has achieved feels precious to me. Today, we have over 60 stores worldwide and online sales across 61 regions. Whether it’s entering prestigious department stores or appearing in VOGUE, each step has represented a deeper level of trust.

The same is true with our retail partners. We never rely on samples or presentations alone. Instead, we insist that buyers wear our shoes, walk in them, test them for themselves. Only then, when they genuinely feel the difference, do partnerships truly happen.This focus on real experience also guides our product development. From day one, our mission has been clear: to create what women genuinely need. That means listening carefully. When customers told us they wanted flats that could handle rainy days, we developed the waterproof version of our classic Aria 5° flats. Every new design begins with their voices.

Right now, VIVAIA feels like a five-year-old child — full of energy, full of flaws, but learning every day. The road has not been easy. Every day brings decisions and challenges. But those struggles have only strengthened my belief in our mission: to transform women’s footwear by proving that comfort, beauty, and sustainability can — and should — exist together.

People often ask me: “With so many brands moving into sustainable fashion, aren’t you worried about competition?”Honestly, I welcome it. The more brands that embrace sustainability, the stronger the movement becomes. What excites me is that competition will become less about who markets better, and more about who truly makes the best products. On that front, I have full confidence in VIVAIA. We will continue to innovate, to challenge norms, and to raise the standard of what women’s shoes can be.