Loafer Styling
And why they are so important to FRĒDA.
July is FRĒDA’s 14th birthday month and it’s feeling a little nostalgic and sentimental that penny loafers were the style that literally put us on the map and now they are one of our most popular styles again. Full circle. I thought it would be fun to share the back story about the significance of penny loafers to our brand. It’s layers deep. Then I put together some outfit ideas I am loving now for the warmer temps and also forward thinking for Fall. I just got back from Paris and Lisbon where I was beyond inspired by the street style. Everything was FUN. Funky, bold, unexpected. I am definitely more inspired than ever to lean into the “anything goes” mentality.
Penny Loafer Backstory: Fall 2011
We debuted our very first collection at a showroom in New York (just as a test to get feedback) and it was the moment in fashion where the Tory Burch ballet flat was everywhere and the more fashion forward stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys etc, were in search of the next trend; which was penny loafers. Our first collection was mainly loafers and boots, which felt fresh and exciting. From our trial meetings with buyers (where we were expecting to just get curtesy feedback) we actually got picked up by incredible stores like Shopbop, Saks, Anthropologie, Harvey Nichols and more. It was truly one of those ‘pinch me’ moments. They loved our more man-tailored, classic loafer vibe to counter balance all of the more feminine ballets in the market. And just like that we had a business.
Over a decade later, our penny loafers have secured ‘icon’ status thanks to spottings on Kate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Gabrielle Union, Olivia Rodrigo, Courtney Grow, Vogue and more.
Our Loafer Roots
All of our penny loafers are made in Cristina’s dad’s factory in El Salvador. Her grandfather started making shoes there over 70 years ago and her dad followed suit opening his own hand sewn moccasin factory in the 80’s. His factory, where we produce today, is one of the few factories in the world that can sew onto the shoe last. It’s a true art form. This level of craftsmanship, along with our Italian leathers make our loafers some of the most comfortable and beautiful in the world. Getting better and better with age and wear. As you can imagine it is beyond special to work with this factory. Many of the people working on our collection knew Cris when she was a kid following her dad around the factory sketching shoes with highlighters.
Penny Loafer Styling
One of my favorite design aesthetics of FRĒDA is taking classic styles and modernizing them. This makes them understandable and easy to work into your daily life, but interesting and exciting to wear. Penny loafers are such a great shoe to mix into your closet all year round. For me (especially when I wear them with socks) they function like a sneaker. They are always the shoes I put on when I need to look polished and know I am going to walk miles and miles.
Here are some of the ways I am excited to wear loafers now, in the middle of summer and then again when the temps get cooler.
I pulled these pieces from Net-A-Porter and you can shop them here. I also intend for them to be more for inspiration and I love finding similar things on The Real Real. I search by brand, like Ganni, Sea, Bode etc…or I search by item, like Suede Jacket, Western Shirt, Bomber Jacket etc. For example see below collage of things I just found. It’s kind of addicting, because there are so many great finds and it changes daily :)
Currently On The Real Real
I remember about 10 years ago being at a little pizza restaurant in Sausalito and sitting next to you at a restaurant. You were telling the waitress about your brand, and I looked it up as soon as I got home. I've been a fan since! I love being able to access more of your personal style through your Substack, too. You've built an amazing brand!
I love that you started when the loafer and the ballet flat were trending and now they’re back and you have once again dominated with the freshest take on both 😍