Summer seems a long way off in spite of the mild winter we are having so far – so a fine moment to keep dreaming about summers to come, and in particular what we are going to wear, as written for Chinese online journal Mingpao:
Shoes and summer have always posed the difficult dilemma, particularly for men, of choosing between comfort and style – for some reason, summer footwear on men always tends to look a little ridiculous, in its endless declinations of sandals that never did us much good, or short-lived trends of espandrilles or flip-flops that never quite lived up to their job, or canvas sneakers and mocassins that were never quite summery enough.
No more though, and summer can come any time, since finally someone made the effort and answered our prayers, and as it happens, the answer is in French: Rivieras Shoes.
It’s rare that I get obsessed with a brand – it’s been years, in fact – but Rivieras strike the balance between casual and chic, between office and beach, between stylish and effortless, between loving and careless, so perfectly that it’s a pure joy. Relying on one basic unisex shape somewhere between a slipper and a canvas sneaker, Rivieras instantly created a classic that is so clearly refined that it can be played out in hundreds of variations in colours, patterns and fabrics that range from raffia and meshed cotton to leather and even jeans.
Or maybe one should say recreated a classic, since Rivieras is also steeped deeply in sundrenched nostalgia for French summers in the 1950s and ‘60s, when the high society still used to collectively escape to the Côte d’Azure to escape from the dusty summer heat in the cities – think Cannes Film Festival, Great Gatsby, Marcello Mastroianni and Brigitte Bardot on the beach. The reference is obvious and has been played out shamelessly by the founders – but always in a way that feels sweetly nostalgic yet contemporary, which in itself is a difficult contradiction to resolve. And maybe that is the secret that gives the impression that Rivieras have been around forever, when in fact, they haven’t.
In fact, Rivieras was founded in 2008 in Paris by two cousins, Dan Amzallag and Fabrizio Corveddu. Since then, they seem to be getting everything right – creating an instant success that was picked up in no time by the best fashion stores around the world, while shrugging off the hype with charming nonchalance. Initiating countless collaborations, from obvious partners in Parisian cool like Surface To Air or graffiti artist André, to more inspiring projects with, for example, architect Rafael de Cárdenas or shirt designer Thomsen – proving that the stronger an idea or an object, the more flexible it becomes. And maybe most intriguingly, creating an entire world around their shoes, from the beautiful packaging that is redesigned in different colours for every single model, a beautifully slim website and a visual language that is convincingly consistent down to the last details, not to mention utterly seductive.
Like all great objects and fashion items, Rivieras were born out of a simple personal need – to create the perfect summer shoe (and indeed, they only produce summer collections). Or, as Fabrizio Corveddu put it, ‘I think we created Rivieras just to get rid of flip-flops. The fewer flip-flops we see around us the better.’ Thank you for that, and come on back summer, because we are ready.