Who better than a super cool and tattooed street-stylish Latin to design sexy architectural heels for women and fashion-forward luxurious high-top sneakers for men that are coveted by the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna and Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. Alejandro Ingelmo has been in the shoe-making business since 2006, but his passion for footwear design has been in his family’s roots for about a hundred years– as his great grandfather was a shoe cobbler in Spain. Ultimately, the family migrated to Cuba prior to the Castro regime when opportunity was abundant, where his grandfather built Ingelmo Shoes. Shortly after Castro’s takeover, the family relocated again, this time for good, to Miami where Alejandro was born and raised. The young designer is now based in New York, where his studio sits above the posh SoHo boutique that displays his must-have collection of shoes and bags.
Clearly, the Ingelmo family teachings has served Alejandro well, as his pricey five and six inch skyscraper-heel pumps and delicate cut-out cage heels- which are made with materials such as cheetah-stenciled cowhide, snakeskin, orange suede and gold-dyed calfskin- possess the same immaculate technique, construction and traditional craftsmanship his great grandfather used a century ago. These glitzy stilettos are designed with one intention in mind- to make women look and feel their feminine best. So even if you hit the streets sporting these in complete fear of a total wipe-out, as I do, it’s so worth putting them on and hoping for the best… www.alejandroingelmo.com
