THE BIRTH OF AN ICON AND THE REBIRTH OF A LEGEND: ANGHÀRA
During a sit-down with New York Style Guide, Angela Lucci and Chiara Carrubba revealed how their friendship developed from being fellow students at Accademia Koefia, in Rome, to flatmates, to partners and co-founders of their own brand, Anghàra.
“We always knew we wanted to create something together, so anytime we had the chance we bounced around some ideas, and although shoemaking wasn’t our first choice, we knew it was the best one. Then we started sketching. Of the many ideas that went onto paper, we stuck with the one that truly embodied the values we both share”.
What is the meaning behind Anghàra? Is it the combination of both your names?
“That is only a happy coincidence. The name was actually inspired by Angara, a Siberian legend of a beautiful woman, luminous by day and dark as a storm cloud by night, who was imprisoned in a crystal tower by her father Who promised her hand in marriage to a prince. By gathering all her strength, and evoking the gods, she managed to set herself free”.
“She is a symbol of fortitude, independence, freedom, and rebelliousness: the personification of the woman who we imagine our designs for. Next to the idea of independence, we wanted to highlight how the concepts of union and togetherness are important to us. So, the “h” in Anghàra acts as a bridge between our two names, underlining how strong we are both individually and together.
Your shoes have a unique shape and style. What inspired such a design?
“Several reference images were consulted, but nothing quite stuck like the one of a tree with its trunk wrapped around itself. This shape eventually evolved into a knot. Recognizing the symbolic value that the knot beholds, of a woman hugging herself, taking care of herself, we decided to incorporate it in our design”.
Will the knot remain specific to this first collection?
“The knot is what makes our brand immediately recognizable. We believe it’s iconic and it reflects the values we stand for, both for independence and union, so we do plan to incorporate it in our next collections”.
“What is interesting about our heels is that even within the same “batch” the knot will never be the same: each heel is hand-made so the knot may be higher or lower or tighter or looser. We do try to maintain a standard, but we appreciate the uniqueness of each pair of shoes, and of each knot”.
Tell us a bit about what goes into making an Anghàra shoe.
“A lot of time went into finding the right suppliers and craftsmen. We mostly invested our time in finding someone who could reproduce the heel we imagined, and once we did, we worked together to create something beautiful and durable at the same time. Everything is made in Italy. This was important to us both because we are Italian but even more, because we recognize how advanced and rich in tradition the know-how in our country is. The materials and processes used are a guarantee of quality and durability, and although they aren’t the most accessible, especially for a young brand, we refuse to lower our standards”.
What rules do you follow when purchasing a pair of shoes?
“Comfort! Comfort and materials. Even when it comes to heels. If you’re not a firm believer of the saying “beauty is pain”, most shoes, although beautiful, are bound to stay locked in a closet. With Anghàra we want to propose something both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. We are women who support women, and this is our way of showing that to our consumers”.
What will the next steps be for Anghàra?
“We plan to open an e-commerce as soon as possible. We would also love to open our first boutique in the near future, maybe in Rome, since it’s the birthplace of our brand, or in Milan”.
“We also have some celebrities in mind who we would love to see wearing our shoes, but our dream would be to see Beyoncé in Anghàra. Right now, we are focused on maintaining a slow and steady pace. We don’t want to skip any steps and want to ensure we do everything by giving our all. For now, we are impatiently awaiting April 2023, when our shoes will finally be available to the public”.
For more information, please visit Anghàra
