Chie Mihara

Chie Mihara does not believe in aesthetic limitations or cultural barriers. She was born in 1968 to Japanese parents in southern Brazil’s bohemian and coloristic Porto Alegre. At the age of 18, she traveled to Fukuoka, Japan, where she studied fashion at the design school. Upon graduating, she moved to Tokyo and joined Junko Koshino’s workshop. This vanguard designer, whom Chie continues to refer to as sensei, understood that creativity is an exercise in personal identity that does not require exploring far-off worlds. By this point, Chie’s relationship with fashion had already become a story of joy and disenchantment, passion and weariness.

In December 2001 she decided to take the big step of creating her own brand alongside her husband and with the manufacturer’s support. The company is now solely run by the couple, with her husband as CEO and Chie as the creative director. 21 years and 41 collections later, the thousands of pumps, booties and sandals are proof that there is life beyond the basics. Chie Mihara brings back the value and expertise of artisanal shoemakers, who pay special attention to every detail that defines the finished product: the sole, the heel, the shape and more. Living and manufacturing in Elda is a way of holding on to the knowledge that Made in Spain designs are famous for.