L.A.P.T.I. Ukrainian publications VOGUE, Elle, Marie Claire, Pink, L`Officiele write regularly, and even VOGUE Italy dedicated material to the brand. Founder Alexander Vernik says that the brand appeared only a year ago:

Last year, my wife brought a couple from a trip to Europe. We liked the design and comfort of these shoes, and immediately the idea arose - why not apply the experience of the family business in the production of shoe equipment and create a bright fashion shoes we have. From that moment on, travels around Europe began in search of suitable materials, creative experiments and trials of sewing Spanish espadrilles by Odessa craftsmen ... Already at the first presentation, we sold 42 pairs in one day and realized that L.A.P.T.I. doomed to success and love of connoisseurs of bright and high-quality shoes.

BRAND CONCEPT

Brand L.A.P.T.I. positions itself as the first street fashion brand in Ukraine designer shoes, which is sold at a reasonable price and competes with Italian manufacturers both in quality and price.

RECOGNIZABLE DETAILS

You say - " L.A.P.T.I.", you think -" slip-ons and espadrilles. Recognizable details - felt, thick Spanish sole, powder-colored leather and Marsala. Decorative details in the form of bows and voluminous pleats used for construction slip-ons, invented by the designer of the brand Irina Musatova.

BEST SELLING MODEL

Combined powder slip-ons Pink colour made of felt and natural leather with a thick sole.

MATERIALS

The sole is brought from Spain and Italy from suppliers who make the sole for such famous brands as Valentino, Santoni, Maison Margiella. Also use genuine leather, felt, fur.

COLLABORATIONS WITH DESIGNERS

L.A.P.T.I. x KSENIA SCHNAIDER

L.A.P.T.I. x Anna K- ultra-fashionable slip-on models with French beaded piping, which managed to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week.

L.A.P.T.I. x Anna K x GAPCHINSKA Hapy Active Wear- a collection of slip-ons with prints by GAPCHINSKA. These slip-ons also made it to New York Fashion Week and are now on show at Tomorrow, Milan. A presentation of this collection was held at MBKFD, which was attended by world-famous fashion bloggers Eleonora Karizi and Nikolina Granik, top model Sisi Johnson, as well as Ukrainian celebrities and fashion editors.

L.A.P.T.I. x ANNA K

L.A.P.T.I. x Ksenia Schnaider- a collection of slip-ons with a signature Ukrainian pixel print by Ksenia Schneider, who this week presented the collection at Paris Fashion Week.

L.A.P.T.I. x We Anna Be- a collaboration with a Ukrainian designer, who created slip-ons-constructors with a unique design.

BRAND ADVANTAGES

L.A.P.T.I. x KSENIA SCHNAIDER

Founder Alexander Vernik personally travels to exhibitions and selects the highest quality materials in trendy colors and textures from the world's best suppliers from Milan, Paris, Barcelona, ​​Alicante.

Strict quality control of each pair of shoes leaving production. Shoes are made on German equipment on the basis of a full-fledged shoe factory.

A wide range: the presence of several designer collaborations at once and a basic, everyday line at lower prices.

A convenient and high-quality site where you can see all the news and learn about current auctions and brand new products, see new collection slip-on Ksenia Schnaider, which is about to go on sale.

Bast shoes were one of the most common types of footwear in Russia. They can be made from almost any material. Any peasant could make bast shoes for himself and his family. Their advantages are obvious: they "breathe", do not rub the leg, you can not fill them with calluses. And the festive painted bast shoes were also beautiful. Their only disadvantage is their short service life. The bast quickly wore out and rubbed. Bast shoes fell into disrepair in 3-4 days.

Bast shoes from bast

How to weave bast shoes in the old days

Bast shoes have always depended on where they were created. Outwardly, shoes from different provinces could be distinguished by the type of weaving and materials. They were woven from all types of bark suitable for knitting, but bast shoes made from lime bast were valued more than others. In the northern regions birch bark was used, in the south one could find shoes made of elm and oak. Willow models were considered the cheapest. The names of each type of bast shoes came from the material: elms, brooms, hairs. Another type of everyday bast shoes is feet. It was convenient to work in the yard in them, as they were easily put on on bare feet and did not require tying. Such bast shoes stood at the threshold of the hut and allowed you to quickly go to the hay, barn or chicken coop.

Russian sandals

There were several types of weaving bast shoes: straight lattice, oblique lattice, crustaceans (rare weaving for rainy weather). Bast shoes were divided according to the number of basts that were used in the manufacture - 5, 6 or 7. The more stripes, the denser the lattice and the warmer the shoes. For better thermal insulation, the soles were lined with leather or bast shoes were woven in two layers. Such techniques not only warmed the models, but also made them more durable and beautiful.

In addition to the fact that bast shoes were the everyday shoes of the peasantry, there were festive models that were decorated different ways. They were woven from the best bast, cut into smaller strips to create a unique pattern. In their manufacture, colored stripes and colored threads were woven into them - the materials depended on the imagination and experience of the master. Such shoes were expensive and were worn only on special occasions - for a wedding or large patronal feasts, as well as for a fair or in the city.

Who and when wore bast shoes?

The first mention of bast shoes dates back to the 10th century. Even then, the peasants prepared shoes not only for personal use, but also for exchange, because not all areas grew suitable trees and there were craftsmen. So these shoes spread to the territory inhabited by the Slavs and became traditional for them.

The peasantry appreciated all the positive qualities of bast shoes, because they had to spend all day in the field, where the comfort of shoes is of particular importance. High-quality bast shoes did not rub their feet, quickly dried out in rainy weather, and their cost was so low that even the poorest farmers could afford them. In almost every family, men knew how to weave bast shoes, the boys learned this from childhood. While bast shoes were a favorite among farmers, artisans and city dwellers practically did not wear them, and there was nowhere to make them in the city. Therefore, such popular peasant shoes did not become widespread in large settlements. For many centuries, until the beginning of the XX century. bast shoes were considered not only comfortable shoes, but also a symbol of Russia, because the Slavs, for the most part, lived in villages and worked with the land.

Bast shoes in our time

Now bast shoes can only be found in souvenir shops. There are practically no real craftsmen left, and it is not easy to find shoes in their traditional form, suitable for wearing. But there are analogues of bast shoes from various materials: from raffia, birch bark, pine needles and even from newspaper tubes. Designers create many interesting and colorful models from different fibers, which have strength and interesting texture.

Souvenir bast shoes from newspaper tubes

The most ancient footwear in Russia - bast shoes!

Since ancient times, bast shoes were considered the most popular and common footwear among the Russian people. No wonder they said - "bastard Russia". Moreover, wearing bast shoes applied not only to the poor or peasants, even townspeople with little income could not afford anything other than bast shoes - boots were a distant and unrealizable dream for them.

Bast shoes are primordially Russian shoes, they have never been worn in any other country. Presented at the Paris World Exhibition in 1889, they made a splash, becoming almost its main decoration.

What were ancient shoes made of?

Often, linden bark acted as the material under the bast shoes, in rare cases they used the bark of oak, willow, elm and other things. They tried to make bast shoes for daily wear as durable as possible, for which they used a wide bast, on which soles were attached, subsequently braided with hemp ropes or thin oak strips, previously soaked in boiling water.

For insulation and additional reinforcement, hemp rope was added to the sole - this saved not only from freezing, but also from getting wet feet.

To work on the mowing, special bast shoes were used that did not let water through - crustaceans. Bast shoes made of ropes were called chuny - they were used in a hot and dry period. Some craftsmen managed to make shoes from horse hair - it was called hairmen.

Rural women of fashion wore bast shoes made of the finest elm bast, complemented by onuchs and frills in black wool. They were considered the most attractive - during the manufacture they were kept in boiling water, due to which the material not only hardened, but also acquired a pink tint.

Homework was done in wicker feet, outwardly resembling tall galoshes. They were always left at the entrance to the house, to be quickly dressed if necessary. This was especially true in the autumn or spring, when there was a lot of dirt around, and putting on ordinary bast shoes took too much time and effort.

Initially, bast shoes were made separately for each foot. But over time, having adopted the experience of the Tatars, Chuvashs and other nationalities, in Russia they began to make the same shoes, which was quite convenient and practical - there were no problems with replacing worn-out bast shoes.

Bast shoes were suitable for wearing at any time of the year, regardless of weather conditions. Under them, windings made of wool, cloth or canvas material were put on. To hold the bast shoes on the leg, oboras were used - narrow straps made of leather or hemp rope (mochens), which encircled the human leg to the very knee.

Bast shoes were quite cheap - just a few kopecks, which significantly affected their popularity and prevalence among the population. But they were not worn for very long - in winter up to 10 days, in summer no more than four. But replacing them was not a problem, so no one really took care of this shoe.

Bast shoes, bast shoes, you say ...

Bast shoes were participants a large number superstition. And, you know, people really believed it. Or maybe the Epiphany fortune-telling came from there, huh?

• Many believed that their presence in the chicken coop could protect chickens from illnesses and increase their egg production.
• There was also an opinion that thanks to bast fumigation, the cow after calving would be strong and bring good milk yield.
• During dry weather, it was customary to throw bast shoes with wood lice inside into the water - it was believed that this would help attract rain.
• In family rituals, too, they could not do without bast shoes. It was customary to throw him after the matchmaker, who went to matchmaking - this attracted good luck.
• In front of the newlyweds returning from the church ceremony, the children burned bast shoes with straw inside, which not only protected them from troubles and bad weather, but also ensured wealth and happiness.

The Italian company IMAC SpA was founded in 1975 by the brothers David and Renato MAZZOCKONI as a workshop for tailoring shoe uppers to order and soon established itself as a reliable partner of the largest Italian shoe manufacturers.

In the early 80s, IMAC was transformed into shoe factory and started manufacturing shoes using a direct injection method to attach polyurethane soles, which are especially popular in the Nordic countries, which the company was targeting to expand its market.

Over the years, IMAC has gained considerable experience and developed its own know-how for the production of waterproof shoes (according to a special patented method), which over time has become one of the "visiting cards" of the company.

Today, IMAC employs over 1,400 full-time employees, of which 580 are in Italy. Another 7,050 people are indirectly employed by the group's 70 supplier companies located in 11 countries. The IMAC brand is focused on retail chains and is actively developing both in Italy and abroad. This has been possible thanks to significant investment in the development of new product lines that combine style, comfort and excellent value for money.

For over forty years, IMAC has been making shoes with love and expertise. These qualities are also reflected in finished product, which has earned high recognition and is in great demand all over the world. IMAC shoes are characterized by versatility, comfort and excellent value for money.

The production of high-tech footwear for children has been singled out as a separate area in IMAC.

The children's direction of the brand IMAC is produced in accordance with the latest technologies which guarantees maximum comfort and product quality. In the production of children's shoes, the Imac-Tex membrane is used, which does not allow moisture to pass through and is breathable, thereby providing an ideal microclimate inside the shoe. Another feature of IMAC children's shoes is the use in the production of an antibacterial leather insole designed with an air cushion effect, which guarantees maximum comfort and stability when walking.

The entire range of IMAC children's shoes is characterized by bright and varied designs.

Today, IMAC is one of the world's leading manufacturers of children's footwear, thanks to its commitment to its core principles:

• Maintain a balance between Tradition and Innovation;
• Create quality shoes, which provides growing legs with comfort and proper development, helping to maintain and strengthen child health;
• Maintain an affordable Price Level due to a high level of manufacturability and organization of production;
• Do not stop there, always keep the course for the development of Technology and Design in order to always offer the buyer comfortable, beautiful and inexpensive models of children's shoes.