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MESSAGE
USA · Est. 2023 · Mid-range
MESSAGE started because Meghan Whitney Higney kept finding footwear that looked fine on a shelf and fell apart on a real foot. She had run True Botanicals and knew how to build a small brand, so she put in about $500k of her own money, raised under $1m from angels, and set out to make shoes around how feet actually move.
The trick is the upper. Hugflex is a patented stretch fabric that grips without squeezing, so a slide stays put when you walk and still feels like socks. Underneath sits barecork: Portuguese wine-cork offcuts that would otherwise be waste, cut into a footbed that cushions and breathes. Sheepskin slippers use the same idea for colder months. Everything is made in small batches by family workshops near Porto, close to the cork and the people who cut it.
That setup is why the brand feels different from a typical DTC shoe drop. There is no seasonal colour chase, no 40-SKU wall. The catalogue stays short on purpose, so each pair can be finished by hand and still priced in a range people will actually buy twice. Nordstrom stocking it helped, but the quieter win is repeat buyers who say the cork bed is the first one that does not go flat after a month.
Press from Fast Company, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Elle, and Travel + Leisure noticed the cork story first. The real test is simpler: put them on, walk a few blocks, and notice you stop thinking about your feet. That is the brief Higney started with, and it is still the one MESSAGE is built around.
Souliers Martinez
France · Est. 2017 · Luxury
Julien Martinez launched Souliers Martinez in Paris in 2017, drawing heavily on his Spanish heritage. A visit to an Alicante workshop introduced him to hand-braided leather, which became a defining feature of the label. The shoes combine that visible craft with shaped heels, pointed or softly squared toes and colours that give classic silhouettes a distinctive finish.
The women’s range includes woven sandals, pumps, flats and boots, alongside mesh, raffia and occasion styles. According to the brand’s history, its original leather designs were assembled and finished in Spain. Current material guides also identify production in Portugal and Italy for particular categories, so the manufacturing country is specific to the shoe rather than the label as a whole.
Souliers Martinez sells through its own online shop and stockists. Its general European size chart covers EU 35–41. Fit advice varies by construction: some styles recommend sizing up between sizes, while others recommend sizing down.
Maison Toufet
France · Est. 2015 · Mid-range
Marion Toufet founded Maison Toufet in Paris in 2015, building on a family background in shoemaking. The women’s footwear label designs in France and works with a workshop near Porto, Portugal, to make its shoes. Its collection includes loafers, ballet flats, sneakers, ankle boots and sandals, with individual styles named after women who inspire the founder.
Maison Toufet focuses on wearable shapes and materials that can stand up to repeated use. The brand says it produces in small batches and sometimes uses preorders to align production with demand. It identifies Leather Working Group certified leather, some partially recycled soles and recycled or FSC-certified packaging among its choices. Its Portuguese workshop generates part of its electricity through solar panels.
Many current product listings offer EU sizes 36–41, though availability and fit advice depend on the model. Maison Toufet sells directly through its online shop; its product descriptions identify the leather, construction and care requirements of individual shoes.
