Lady LUX

Australian bred designers, Tamara Ingham and Yasmine Yarborough have taken Nancy Sinatra’s words, “these shoes were made for walking,” seriously with their new endeavor, Mara & Mine, a new footwear line made entirely of flats.

“We came up with the idea for Mara & Mine when we were on the Amalfi Coast,” explained Ingham. “We were inspired by the European flair and effortless style of European women. They were all wearing chic flats – no heels – and we wanted to incorporate that style into our own line.” The globetrotting design duo also took inspiration from their travels to Mexico, where the skeleton motif resonated with them and was incorporated throughout the collection. “The traditional Mexican interiors were amazing. The colors, the common theme of skeletons and the lifestyle all played a big part,” said Ingham. The collection is completely made up of casual and comfy flats, all of which are amazingly comfortable, making them a packing essential for summertime travels.

Named after the designer’s childhood monikers, Mara and Mine is Ingham and Yarbrough’s first jaunt into designing a full line of footwear — and it has been successful first jaunt. Already garnering attention from upscale boutiques including Curve in New York City and receiving positive feedback from critics from around the fashion circuit, the past year has been a whirlwind for Mara & Mine. “The last year has been exciting, adventurous and incredibly rewarding, watching all of our hard work finally come to life,” said Ingham. “I have absolutely loved working with Jas and seeing a holiday dream come to fruition,” she added. Though, Yarbrough believes the most exciting part about the past year has been “seeing our shoes on the streets worn by women we admire and walking into boutiques and seeing them alongside designers we look up to.”

Bearing an assortment of metal embellishments, skeleton bones and neon colors, the Spring and Summer 2013 collection is edgy but feminine and is a happy medium between both designers’ personalities. “We only design shoes based on what we would wear and love, so the designs completely reflect mine and Tammie’s style,” noted Yarbrough. Ingham followed up by explaining, “Luckily, our individual styles differ a bit. Jas’s style is flirty and fun while mine is a bit more classic with an edge so our shoe designs are complimentary, offering something for every girl.” Generally speaking, women who are likely to be drawn to the styles of Mara & Mine are those who like statement pieces and like to take risks with fashion, but still maintain their feminine quality.

While only in its first collection, already Mara & Mine is making some much needed noise is the realm of flat footwear, and the designers have hopes of making it a global brand, eventually expanding to boots, espadrilles and other casual styles. If this season is any indication, there’s no doubt that as the brand grows, we will be falling head over heels flats in love with Mara & Mine.

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Tagged in: footwear, shoes, spring 2013, summer 2013, flats, designers, mara and mine,