It is around 1990-91…All seemed well, the shop was in place, orders from great stores from all over the world were coming in, it could not be better, so what could happen?
Well, anything could happen and did happen and like they say when it rains it pours!
It started with the new shop in the Mall which was now officially opened and got a lot of publicity in the papers and TV, and in the beginning a lot of people were coming but after about a year the Mall became a very quiet place and it often looked completely empty. Because of that, many shops were closing which made it even worse and on top the clients were complaining how difficult it was to get there. To park a car was too far away and the Taxis, which is a favorite means of transport in Madrid, could not stop right in front of the building so the people had to walk a small distance but when it rained or snowed the short distance became a long distance. Our clients, of which many were celebrities, were used to stop right in front of the shop and hop in, that was very private and agreeable and they liked it that way. In the Mall they had to go on the rolling stairs and walk quiet a bit in public before reaching our shop and most of them did not like that. The whole deal of the Mall was not that good as it had seemed at first, the rent, which went by the meters (or feet) you occupied, was very high as our shop was pretty big, a quarter of the size would have been sufficient but my mind saw it big with many more things I wanted to design and sell. So even that we ourselves had made the shop out of nothing, we had to pay a rent and the bills of electricity were high, the bills and the interest for the loan of the bank to make the shop were sometimes impossible to pay. It was a hard time and on top of everything the shop in Piamonte had to go because they were indeed going to tear down the building.
There were also very good moments though, very nice people came to the shop, among them Sharon Stone who was filming in Madrid, Gabriel Carcia Marquez with his wife and Pedro Almodovar always had our shoes in his films and so on; but the bills were suffocating us and then… more bad news were soon to be coming our way…
In the meantime the latest collection was in the stores and a new collection was ready to go into production….
wish I had all these now
… or these..
or any of these…
My very favorite
Rocky, the best seller, there were 7 different Rockies and this is Rocky 7
The hairy shoe
In Madrid, wearing my booties and everything else made by me. Alejandro made this picture.
idea for the shop window Puerta de Toledo.
designing shoes
designing clothes
and making pictures of my fav models Alegria and Ava, here in Paris.
and so things were going and moving and changing…
I WAS THRILLED WHEN SEEING YOUR PICTURE IN “BRIGITTE” AFTER NOT KNOWING ANYTHING OF YOU AND SALVADOR SINCE THE IBIZA YEARS.
YOUR SHOES WERE AWESOME. THIS WAS IN THE EARLY 90IS ON A VISIT TO GERMANY.
Such a beautiful post Willy… somehow you touched my heart ;).
Love and Peace.
Humming
Hi Anke, that is so funny, did you ever get any of my shoes? Glad you rediscovered us and thanks for following. Hope to see you one of these days, would that not be fun? Much love to you and family
Thank you dear friend, love to you
Your designs are to .die.for. Wish I had many of those shoes and boots now.Beyond.
thank you Kathy, sometimes they are for sale on eBay… love
My Darling, What a glorious post. You and your magnificent shoes are so beautiful, I miss seeing both of you! xox Robyn
amazing shoes, they truly would be real cool today.
Willy, you are such a talent; those shoes are amazing! Everything you design is very classical and will never date; they are as fashionable today as they were when you designed them.
I completely understand your frustration with the retail end of designing. I Had my business for 18 years, and during that time decided to open a store, that was basically paying the landlord, the electric company, the security, the phone and staff. It was a beautiful place and I loved creating my jewelry designs there. I just couldn’t make it work, and this was before the 2008 grand finally of retail. Besides the earrings I made some fabulous necklaces all one of a kind, and still to this day get rave reviews, but at this point, unless one is swimming in cash, or simply must have what no one else does, then it is just a hobby, and I don’t do hobbies! I love my artistic adventures but I feel more appreciated when they sell. It is a gauge for me. Not just the money, but a sense of appreciation for what it is I create. Once it is sold, I know others will see it on a woman and admire it. A client is a living museum for me, she is the one that can show it off, at a luncheon, or dinner affair. Each piece I have made and designed has been made for someone I simply haven’t met yet! Art will live on, we will find new ways, and change with the times.
Best,
Andrea Derujinsky