Meet Carmen Edo and André Moreira, the team behind the Spain-based children’s footwear brand, Maison Mangostan. We are so excited to get an inside look into the backstory and creative processes of this duo, who are not only partners in business, but also in life. Enjoy this edition of Chit Chat Tuesday!
JS: In a few words, who is Andre, who is Carmen? Could you tell us about the two of you and how you got together to create Maison Mangostan?
MM: First of all, thank you for featuring our very own Maison Mangostan, it is a great honour. We are two professionals dedicated to designing. When we met, long before we were partners, we agreed that we would work together on a common project because of our closeness and complicity. During a trip we took together, we were inspired by some of the most amazingly striking fruits we had ever seen and naturally came up with the name and concept of the brand; the fresh, colourful and fun Maison Mangostan.
JS: Which “hats” do each of you wear in the business?
MM: Carmen’s family has always worked with shoes, so there’s some history to account for. Carmen is part of her family’s third generation of shoemakers! André tinkers with Maison Mangostan’s concept and creative universe.
JS: What are some pros and cons about being a couple that works together?
MM: Pros: We understand and trust each other since we know each other very well. Cons: We never disconnect from work and end up taking it home.
JS: What has been the biggest obstacle thus far in having your own footwear label? Biggest reward?
MM: We encountered many obstacles when we started. There were many hours of hard work with the greatest (and only) reward being the knowledge that we were making something so personal and true to ourselves that we would be proud of the outcome whether the end consumer responded or not. It has been amazing that even though our brand is very much our own, personal style, people from all around the world with different cultural backgrounds and tastes have been as enthusiastic as we are.
JS: Do you have any hidden useless talents?
MM: Carmen makes a mean banana pie and André is a pro at singing Japanese songs without knowing what he’s actually saying.
JS: What are the best and worst purchases you’ve ever made?
MM: Wooww, so many! We go crazy on every trip we take, making impulse purchases of things we like and then we don’t know where to put them. Two years ago we visited Carmen’s sister who lives in Sweden and ended up buying furniture that we have not yet found a place for in the house.
JS: What are some current trends in the footwear scene?
MM: Honestly, we follow our own path and make up our own trends. As for colour, materials or styles, we are inspired by things that we remember from our childhood, movies, music… We literally try to put ourselves in kids’ shoes. For us, it would be great if kids were to instinctively decide that Maison Mangostan are the shoes they want to wear.
JS: When was your favourite day, and how did you spend it?
MM: Our favourite day, of course, was the day our daughter Zoe was born. Days spent with Zoe, seeing her growing up and discovering new things, they always become favourite days.
JS: What are you currently working on? What can we expect from Maison Mangostan in the near future?
MM: It’s proving to be a great challenge as it will be our first ever Winter collection. The future of Maison Mangostan has no limits. We like what we do and want to continue this way, bringing a surprise element into each Maison Mangostan collection’s universe.
Visit Maison Mangostan website here.
View Sylvia Yims Chit Chat Tuesday interview with Jessica Ben-Ami from Bandy Button.
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