About twenty years ago I was on holiday in Spain with my family. It was there that I fell madly in love with Hermenegildo Muxart.
I met him in front of a shoe shop window in Palamos. At the time, I only knew his last name: Muxart. That name was on the insoles of the most beautiful shoes I had ever seen. Bordeaux suede strap shoes with a sturdy square toe and an ankle strap with suede fringes and silver bells. It was love at first sight.
Unfortunately I had to wait a while for a real meeting. The shop was closed and it took a few days before I convinced the family to go back to that shop. I can't remember how long that took exactly but I do remember that I had a stomach ache at the idea that someone else could beat me to it. It was already a big sale and the area was full of tourists.
But apparently the shoes were meant for me. They were still there and they fit like a glove. And on top of that there was a big sale discount, although I didn't care at all at that moment. I had them and I literally sat on a pink shoe cloud for days!
I wore the shoes for years. And when I finally stopped wearing them because the straps were too stretched, I couldn't part with them. Over time, I donated many of my shoes to the museum. But not these!
Sporadically I came across the name Muxart again. The store in Palamos never had shoes of this brand in the collection anymore, at least not the times I went there.
In a shop in my hometown I once found a pair of men's shoes and the same feeling as in Palamos happened to me again in Bergen op Zoom. There I found a pair of green shoes with a python print in bright green with a matching handbag. "Luckily" not in my size and without shoes I didn't find the bag interesting enough.
Is it a coincidence that all three aforementioned stores closed a few years after that fateful holiday in Palamos? Apparently, Muxart itself had enough trouble keeping its head above water. In 2013, Muxart itself also closed its doors, although it was restarted in 2019. However, these turned out to be the last gasps of an exceptional company.
Who is Hermenegildo Muxart anyway? Good question: the man is almost completely invisible on the worldwide web. What is certain is that he is of Spanish descent and started his company in Barcelona in 1989. For almost 25 years, Muxart designed special footwear, made from the most beautiful types of leather. As mentioned, he closed his company in 2013. Six years later he returned with so-called bespoke footwear, so to order. And then he disappeared from view again. The pandemic may have done him in for a second time.
The fascination for Muxart products has never left me. His designs are somehow very recognizable, so when I came across a pair of black sandals I knew without seeing the label that they were Muxarts. It became even more fun when I saw the size: 37. My size. But unfortunately peanut butter - they are very small and I get cramps in my toes.
And so they are for sale – with a heavy heart (and aching toes), mind you. But luckily I still have the burgundy holiday shoes and I will never get rid of them. Never for as long as I live!
When purchasing these Muxart sandals, you get this beautiful story for free!
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