Dave and Kara Allen fell in love with Brazillian shoe label Galibelle in 2013, and have since made it their mission to bring the colourful, interchangeable sandals to Western Australia. Wetalk to Kara about how it all began, and what people can expect of Galibelle’s new collection.
What is Galibelle all about?
Galibelle is an innovative brand combining exotic materials with creative designs. The brand is all about making women feel sexy and confident whilst being comfortable. Galibelle shoes all have straps that interchange allowing you to pick one sole and have endless options at the change of a strap.
How did you come across the Galibelle shoes?
Dave and I were travelling through Spain in 2013. We were exploring Barcelona on bikes when Dave saw the Galibelle shop. We immediately stopped and went in for a look. I fell in love with the shoes the moment I saw them, and even more so when I felt how comfortable they were and how good they looked on. I walked out with a pair of Dany cork soles and five straps, and threw out every other pair of shoes I had on the trip. I wore these shoes to death from there on out whilst travelling. Dave had gotten the contact details for Moshe [the owner of the brand]. We contacted Moshe and then started the process to bring this amazing brand into Australia, starting with WA.
What attracted you to the shoes?
The main thing that attracted me to the shoes was the range of vibrant colours so typical of Brazilian designs. I love the fact that they are hand made using rare local materials and that you have the ability to be as creative or conservative as you want with this shoe. Everything from a flat thong to a stiletto has straps that change. There is literally something for every age group and style.
Tell us about your new season collection. What can people expect to find?
The new season has the same great vibrant colours you have come to expect from Brazilian shoes, with the introduction of beautiful leather straps and some new creative strap designs. There’s also a new range of colours for the soles, so you are not limited to cork or black. There are lots of shades of blue coming in, and a white strap.
You collaborated with a number of local creatives on a photoshoot featuring Galibelle.
We did a photo shoot early this year to get some images for our social media pages, and we will be doing this again for images for our 2015 collection and our winter range. A local makeup artist who does amazing work and loved the brand so much she wanted to collaborate first approached us. We decided to collaborate with a number of other local talents to create some fashion shoots.
Why local?
The reason we wanted to use all local start up talents was because, as a start up company ourselves, we know and understand the struggle of bringing something new to the table and building something up. We wanted to be able to learn and take input on the brand from the people wearing the shoe and other people that are also trying to get there names and businesses out there. Everyone from the models to the photographer came on the day with input and ideas and we all worked seamlessly together to create some beautiful photos.
PENNY LANE
