With Nodaleto, Julia Toledano imposed her original aesthetics from the start. Meet the girl behind the heel of the moment.
Monnier Frères: You started out studying law and then worked as a journalist. How did you end up in design?
Julia Toledano: I have been designing since I was very small. But when you're 18, it's difficult to know which direction to go in. I wanted to do something very serious but I quickly realised it wasn't what I was doing. Footwear has always been an obsession of mine. I slowly realised that I was more attracted to journalism because I wanted to get closer to fashion. Then I became a photo stylist. I assisted Carine Roitfeld, I worked at ELLE, I did a lot of internships... And whenever the deliveries arrived, I always went straight to the shoes! Then one day it just clicked. I said to myself: "I'm 24, if there's a time to start living my life, it's now. "I went to London where I did an a fast-track training course to learn the technical aspects of design, then I toured Italy for six months to study the manufacturing, leather, etc. In my head, Nodaleto has almost always existed, even though the brand itself was only created six months ago
MF: Do you remember your first piece?
JT: It's in the collection! It's the lace-up boot that I designed two years ago. It all started from there. It is inspired by the 70s, and the boots worn by flight attendants at the time. I was obsessed with the block heel and platform, and wanted to redesign them to make them more modern.
MF: It's certainly an unusual heel...
JT: It's very architectural but it's also all about balance. I wanted a heel that is as comfortable as possible but also substantial enough to be seen from all sides. It was very important to me for there to be a distinctive marking on the shoe. This is the Nodaleto signature, featured in a variety of ways in upcoming seasons.