>> Yesterday, Vena Cava debuted a new shoe collaboration with Via Spiga during their Spring 2009 presentation — four styles to go along with the collection's Egyptomania theme, involving odd skins like monkfish and salmon. Perhaps most fun was the way Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai chose to present — in their quirky Vena Cava way. The models wore them, of course, but they also piled a whole bunch of pairs together and then labeled it like an art piece in a museum: "Vena Cava in collaboration with Via Spiga. Untitled, 2008. Monkfish, salmon skin, cowhide, metal findings."
Mountains of Monkfish and Other Sundry Skins at Vena Cava Spring 2009
Vena Cava Gets Shoes, Sponsorship Via Spiga
>> Mayle may be closing, but another contemporary brand with a similar folky-feminine aesthetic is pushing its way into new categories as we speak.
Vena Cava is debuting a capsule footwear collection for Via Spiga during New York Fashion Week. The four shoe styles — the first ever for the label — go with Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai's Spring 2009 "Egyptomania" theme, involving a palette of muted colors, mixed materials like monkfish and salmon skin, and pyramid-shaped silver hardware.
The deal, which extends three seasons, involves Via Spiga sposoring Vena Cava's shows during that time, and marks the first designer collaboration for the footwear brand. The shoes are expected to retail between $300 and $850, and mark Vena Cava's continued extension into the accessories market. Up next, the designers foresee eyewear, more handbags, and umbrellas in the line's signature prints.
*image: source

