Behind these handcrafted shoes is the creative mind of Mariela Montiel Schwarz, who reinterpreted in a luxury way the hand woven processes of the Makas Indians specifically for this project.

With valuable experience working at Hermès, Yohji Yamamoto, Bally, Gucci and others, the German-Paraguayan designer’s first collection is influenced and inspired by her origins (Antolina is the first name of her Indian paternal grandmother). Based on her concept and made in Spain by Castañer, the shoes feature a material created according to ancient techniques. The cotton is spun and woven with bright and lively colours inspired by South American nature: azure blue for the sky of the Guarani territory and the mighty Paraguay river, the ever-present greens of the tropical forest, intense red of the earth and pulsating yellow of the sun.

And Mariela Montiel explains that: «The colourful and exclusive patterns – a focal point of the footwear line – also provide a means of living for the indigenous tribes in the heart of the Paraguayan jungle. Thanks to the vital support of Giuseppe Baiardo (former president of ACRIB and Managing Director of the CDivertiamo start-up, licensee and active partner of the project), the initiative revitalizes an endangered craft and rejuvenates a struggling community».