Audrey gets up close and personal with Paris Fashion Week.
These days, fashion brands looking to cut costs turn increasingly to overseas manufacturing or cheaper materials. NewbarK makes a point of doing the opposite. Founded by stylist sisters Marjam and Maryam Malakpour, all NewbarK shoes and bags are handmade in Los Angeles. Flip a pair of their flats inside out, and you’d be hard pressed to find a hint of glue. We got up close with the NewbarK Spring/Summer 2014 collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Artisanal quality aside, NewbarK dedicates itself above all to comfort. Models favor the brand for its durability, often wearing the same pair of flats for several years before needing to replace them. Their debut collection featured foldable flats you could take “from shoot to shoot” and a market tote roomy enough for all the gadgets and knick knacks one could need in a busy day. Their newest showcases an aesthetic expansion of the brand’s original practical designs. Wedges and flip flops have joined the original flats, which now come in metallic shades of calf-hair and suede. As for bags, NewbarK SS14 introduces more structured satchels, as well as its much-loved hip bags in new colors and textures, including snakeskin.
With the evolution of the brand, NewbarK has also turned its attention to weatherproofing its products. Though the brand’s hometown of Los Angeles is rarely hit with extreme weather, the designers have now incorporated waterproof materials for fans elsewhere, further solidifying NewbarK’s place as a champion of durability, quality, and comfort.
