The plastics

Brazil’s greatest export is no longer the recently dethroned Victoria’s Secret model Gisele Bundchen but something of a much humbler stature: plastic footwear. The 25-year-old label Melissa, which has garnered recognition worldwide for its commitment to innovation and sole use of plastic, has been experiencing a renaissance of late. “I believe plastic is only limited by a designer’s creativity,” notes Melissa’s creative director Edson Matsuo.

Thanks to a design partnership with the Campana brothers in 2004, the brand was reinvented into something better, newer and — for lack of a better word — hipper.

Known for their work with cutting-edge furniture design, the Campana duo decided to recreate the jelly shoe, a style invented in Brazil in the ‘80s and one of its most popular styles to date — including, of course, flip-flops. The resulting Melissa & Campana jelly shoes, available in flats and heels (along with a bag), came in a mesh pattern in the label’s signature plastic. Breathable, comfortable and eye-poppingly cute, the Campana jellies breathed new life into a label that soon realized that bringing in outside talent toan established, multi-million-dollar company allowed them to capture a young, fashion-forward market that valued vanguard design over anything else.

The Campana and Melissa partnership yielded numerous heavy-hitters, including the Campana Zigzag, meshed plastic round-toe flats dunked in glitter (which is practically sold out here, despite the fact that it was launched on a couple of weeks ago), and the Campana sneaker (think mesh plastic Vans in a variety of bright primary hues).

Melissa began developing shoe collections under such designers as Brit punk designer Judy Blame in 2005, who’s made a name for himself as part of the Louis Vuitton design team and as an independent designer, selling his wares at the Comme des Garcon concept store in London. Blame’s creations include pointy-toed velvet flats and punk-inspired boots.

Designer Alexandre Hercovitch is one of the latest designers to take up the Melissa campaign. The Sao Paulo native, who recently debuted high-concept trash bag pieces in his well-received fall-winter fashion show, is no stranger to odd materials. Hercovitch’s natural aptitude for transforming mundane “found” objects into objets d’ art endowed him with a strong following — and more than a few fans in the critic’s circle.

His 18-piece collection for Melissa is the strongest so far. His Scarfun wedge, delicate platform wedges done in subtle shades like nude, mint and pale pink, is Melissa’s best-selling wedge to date. And it’s currently selling like hotcakes in Manila. Other notable high-steppers by Hercovitch include the Scarfun High, wedge pumps with horizontal scoring along the front — much like elongated vertebrae. He reworked the concept into high-fashion boots that manage to straddle the line between ethereal and modern without being abrasively trendy. His other flats, unembellished and pointy-toed, come in slick spare shapes that are just as chic as something off the racks of, say, Sigerson Morrison.

Life In Plastic, It’s Fantastic

Melissa patented an exclusive technology, dubbed injected thermoplastic, making their plastic footwear more comfortable than other jellies on the market. A formula developed in the company’s lab, called Melflex, allows the material to mold easily to the foot, allowing the shoe to support the wearer’s weight. Odorless and hypoallergenic, these plastic pieces won’t make your feet stink.

Green Machine

Though Melissa has manufactured over 50 million pairs of plastic shoes — it takes less than a minute to produce the classic Melissa model, according to the company — they’ve made an effort to stay green. “Sustainable development is a cornerstone of our work and is key to our economic development,” reads Melissa’s manifesto. “It is our obligation to produce without damaging the environment.”

Since Melflex was created from mono-materials, the pieces can easily be disassembled and recycled. “Solid, liquid and gas residues, left over from our production process, are recycled and dealt with in-house,” according to the company manual. “Nothing leaves the factory without being properly treated, resulting in practically zero waste.”

These days, loving plastic isn’t such a bad thing.

* * *

Melissa is available at Culte Femme at Rustan’s Tower and Rustan’s Makati, MiaBella at Serendra, and Mix at Greenbelt 3. Prices start at P2,495. For more information, visit www.melissaphilippines.com.