CEBU, Philippines - The relationship a woman has with her shoes is baffling.The latter's quasi-magical ability to galvanize and rouse attention needs to be very well-rehearsed in the female pantheon these days. Apparently, Cebuano jewelry and shoe designer Mark Tenchavez has been on top of it all by mastering the arts of paying homage to the opulence and expressions of the time.
Where there is change and a burgeoning in the fashion industry, the designs of women's shoes have grown both comic and overstated. Because the shoes have to proclaim the foot, shoe designers have worked on footwear like they are sculptures. Even the soles are a thing of beauty, a beautiful beveled carving of museum-like quality.
"I believe in every design you create there is always a rationale to it," says Mark. Shoes, as it turns out, look good on all women, regardless of body shape. Mark has been sitting down with his team since 2001 creating statement jewelry and after years of adorning wrists, necks and fingers, the introduction of Shandar Shoes caused more hearts to skip and pupils to dilate.
The Cebu setting was appropriate. What city that harbors creativity better than Cebu makes Shandar get started with his craft? It was Cebu that first encouraged Shandar to create shoes and it was Cebu that encouraged women all over the Metro to wear them.
The thought of mass-produced shoewear has fashionistas in a dither that is why Mark's creations make women fanatically loyal and grateful to Shandar's inimitability. His red suede platform wedges to name one have become de rigueur on the runway having been spotted on fashion shows and social events recently. Clients like Tessa Prieto-Valdez, the first woman to ever don a pair of Shandar shoes, have also tested his ingenuity.
Having wedges and platforms made to order is not easy but that is actually the essence of deferred gratification. The construction of a bespoke footwear begins with the creation of the last, an exact replica of the wearer's foot. Shandar designs to what suits a woman's profile. "And personality," Mark adds, "..is very important."
Shandar very well understands the talismanic power of footwear and their ability to enchant, dazzle and intrigue. Of all the things women have an incomprehensible affection for - Chris Hemsworth comes to mind - high-heeled shoes and platforms are the most heartening.
It would be pure sophistry to think that you would be less of a woman if you do not own a pair of high heels but Mark does entirely the opposite. Think of Shandar shoes as the perfect negotiator of the complicated landscape where authority meets beauty. It is a tight race between quality, comfort and looks and if a footwear designer can do all that, then comfort then, in my life, will become secondary.
Shandar shoes is available Online atwww.shandarshoes.com, Bergamo, Banilad Town Center, and in Facebook. For appointments, visit Ronald Enrico's shop or call 09276805066. Catch his premiere launching The Shoe Must Go On this Wednesday, June 8, at Luxx Vudu.
Credits:
Photographed by Angelo Kangleon
Styled by Meyen Baguio
Hair and makeup by Hans Ferrer/Emi Ayag