Andrea Gomez

Andrea Gomez

Andrea Gomez studied jewellery design in Florence as a teenager, then at FIT in New York and the London College of Fashion, and worked at DKNY before launching her own shoes. She started in Caracas in 2011 with her sisters Leonor and Mariela, then relaunched the line in New York for spring 2017. Everything is made in a small family-owned factory near Alicante in Spain.

Shoes

This is a shoe brand and nothing else, which is increasingly rare. Gomez trained in jewellery first, in Florence at L'atelier Institute as a teenager and then in accessories design at FIT in New York, with further study at the London College of Fashion. The jewellery eye shows up in the hardware and the heel shapes.

More Shoes

The first version of the business was Venezuelan. In 2011 she returned to Caracas and opened three direct-to-consumer boutiques with her sisters, Leonor on the business side and Mariela on branding, under the name AG by Andrea Gomez. Even then the shoes were being manufactured in Spain.

Still more Shoes

For spring 2017 she relaunched in New York under her own name, and Forbes profiled her the following year. The stated aesthetic is Latin American femininity crossed with New York attitude and European craft, which is an accurate description of the product rather than a slogan. Three sisters still run it.

Even more Shoes

Production sits in a small family-owned factory near Alicante, one of the old Spanish footwear regions. The brand also runs a giveback programme called Stepping Up, which sends a backpack and shoes made by Venezuelan shoemakers to a child in Petare for each pair sold. She has been recognised by the Accessories Council for footwear design.

Our honest take

A small, competently made, independent shoe line with no awards circuit behind it and no need for one. The raffia and suede styles are the ones that justify the trip. If you want provenance you can name down to the factory region, this is it.