Neosens belongs to the brand family of the Art Company based in Quel, La Rioja. It’s an incredibly prolific family of brands, with no less than eleven different labels united under the Art Company‘s umbrella. Neosens is easily recognizable because of its strong fantasy element. The signature traits: curved heel, upward curling toecap, and ornate brocade patterning are inspired by the 17th and 18th century European art forms like Baroque and Rococo, which partly explains the word “Art” in the company name. The underlying philosophy is that of organic forms, romantic soul, and heavenly walking experience.
Like other La Rioja brands, the company is very creative technologically and places a great emphasis on sustainability in footwear production. The Art Company and Neosens offer a very specific design vision targeted at what the company refers to as a “metropolitan” community. By that they mean choosy urban consumers who are after the whole “package”: originality of the design, quality of materials, durability, anatomical correctness, innovative and environmentally friendly technology. Basically, Neosens is the opposite of a conservative, “you’ve got to suffer to look pretty” type of footwear. Since I’m more of a “look for pretty, then see that the suffering is minimal” type of shoe buyer, it took me a while to fully appreciate Neosens‘ revolutionizing attitude to footwear and the drive to carve out a recognizable identity based on vision and performance – all signs of an outstanding brand.
Neosens sells worldwide through a variety of independent retailers, many of them in North America. The brand’s website has a terrific “store locator” feature, where you can find out who sells Neosens near you. You can also buy the shoes straight from the Neosens online shop.
Here are a few designs from the Neosens‘ Spring-Summer 2014 collection. It it a light, summery take on Neosens‘ signature “baroque” look. I especially like the turquoise suede booties: my feet are itching for them already!
