The Spark

The Divadend Difference

People often ask us how Divadend shoes are different than all the other shoes they’ve tried. We usually end up pulling the shoe off our foot and excitedly explaining all the features we incorporated based on input from experts in ergonomics, physical therapy, anatomy and shoe construction.  

New Beginnings / New Collection

Looking back to January 2017, Divadend Footwear had officially launched; the first sale of the inaugural shoe was a success. Holiday celebrations were over, New Years resolutions were in play, a Super Bowl victory for The New England Patriots was approaching and the daily news was getting our attention.  While listening to the annual "State of the City" address, on January 17th, Boston's Mayor Marty Walsh said "Boston has become not only “a global headquarters city,” but also “America’s shoe capital, home to New Balance, Converse, Reebok, Puma, and M. Gemi." 

Small Business Saturday: Some Favorites From Divadend Footwear

Please join us in supporting Small Business Saturday this weekend (and throughout the year).  Independent retailers are vital to the fabric of communities and provide curated creative merchandise.  For all of us who enjoy strolling through a town center near home or on vacation, let's do more than browse at our favorite shops. Who doesn't appreciate having justification to buy that special item you discover! 

These are some of our favorite small businesses: 

Walking by Rouvalis in Boston's Beacon Hill reminds us of Paris and offers the best of everything as a neighborhood florist

Santa Monica Wedding: Perfect Occasion to Wear-Test Divadend Footwear Prototype

I was excited to wear-test an early prototype of our Greenway pump at my sister's wedding in Santa Monica knowing that the occasion would be glamorous and entail hours of standing and dancing.

Me, fourth from left, wear-testing an early prototype of the Divadend Newbury

We Are Onto Something

When we set out to launch our footwear company, people asked us, how will your company be different? We told them, we plan to end the debate between the shoes you love and the shoes you wear, because in our opinion no brand had done this yet!

Like so many women, Isabel and I enjoy walking. Honestly I have become obsessed with looking down while walking the streets of Boston, for two reasons: one to look at what shoes women are wearing and two for safety -- we have a lot of cobblestones and brick sidewalks, charming but hazardous!

A Tribute to Joan Helpern

Photo: New York Times 

I read in the NY Times today that Joan Helpern, Creative Partner in the Company, Joan and David Shoes passed away at 89 years of age. Reading the headline was like reading about someone I had truly known. It causes me to immediately stop, take pause and reminisce about one of, if not my first, introductions to a true quality brand that represented fine craftsmanship and luxury from as far back as the early 80s.

Inspired by Marrakech Style

Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech

In April Caroline and I traveled to Morocco with my mother, sister, husband, three daughters and some family friends. We wanted to take advantage of my mother’s lifetime of experience in Morocco starting with her Peace Corps service there from 1964-66 and culminating in being decorated by the King of Morocco (the equivalent of being knighted in Great Britain) a few years ago. For my daughters it was a chance to expose them to multiple cultural influences simultaneously – Africa, the Arabic / Muslim culture and the European influence. The chic style and sophistication of Morocco made it a real vacation.

Fashion 4WRD at Boston Fashion Week

We had the privilege of attending an exciting event called Fashion 4WRD to kick off Boston Fashion Week:.  The event was a collaboration between the MIT Enterprise Forum, the Museum of Fine Arts and DeScience to celebrate the intersection of fashion and technology.   

The dress code was “dress to impress”—intimidating, no doubt, but it made for great people watching!  Yet again we were struck by how some of the most elegant-looking shoes made for the most awkward walking.   

Our Quest for Leather (and a Reservation at Ralph Lauren’s NYC Polo Club!)

When we first envisioned Divadend Footwear company, we thrilled at the prospect of designing styles and choosing fun and luxurious materials.  Glamorous dreams—followed by hard work! The first couple years have included just as much science as fashion.  We've been immersed in physics and ergonomics, as we've worked to create the just-right foundation of a healthy fit: a shock absorbing heel and sole and a well-cushioned insole with strong arch and metatarsal support. 

So, the prospect of shopping for leathers in Manhattan was especially exciting. We visited showrooms near 7th Ave in the 30s looking for rich looking suedes and metallics that would be beautiful on their own yet blend seamlessly with real life.   

Study Break to Lake Como

When we decided to explore starting a footwear company, we needed to first have a formal education in shoes. So we headed to Milan to study at the famed ARSUTORIA School of shoemaking. The morning we arrived in Italy we ignored our jet lag in favor of seizing our only expected free day to check out Lake Como. Navigating train and ferry schedules, we briefly visited three towns on Lake Como including a family recommendation to stop by the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni Bellagio.