Blog_by_Kristina

"The Tyler" is a Kinamania limited edition collaboration with gifted 12-year old Belgian illustrator, Leon Bullens, aka Z.I.C.E.  I had in mind a colourful derby shoe for the 2022 collaboration, when my daughters were gifted a book called Graaf-Itti by Leon Bullens & Eef Rombaut. And that was it! I got a coup de coeur for "the youngest illustrator from...

I was nominated with KINAMANIA as a finalist for the BelgianVeuve Clicquot Bold Future Award 2022 Belgium! This Award was created to honor Madame Clicquot, one of the first business woman of modern times. Since 1972, Veuve Clicquot has honored and featured women leaders that have built, taken on or developed a business. #soproud :)))  WATCH THE VIDEO HERE : https://youtu.be/fyBxIABKu68  

I've been silent, yet active! Two major announcements for you today 😊 The Beirut Soft Collection & my next R O Y A L pop up location!    // Introducing the Beirut Soft Collection The Beirut Soft Collection is a Kinamania tribute to craftsmen and women of Lebanon.  I worked with a talented artisan named Naji, to create a line of footwear handmade...

LOKAL slowfashion boutique makes room for the iconic Kinamania derby - The Joplin - in its charming boutique in the heart of #Brussels at 18 rue des Eperonniers 18, 1000 Bxl. I met Aura Maria Arevalo Rojas, the co-founder of Lokal via Karen Dumoulin, the Kinamania guest maker of the last pop up boutique edition on Place Saint Pierre, Brussels. I...

It’s been 2 years since I was diagnosed with #breastcancer, I went through chimio, surgery, radiotherapy and the biopsy results after this peculiar journey were to my advantage. I “beat it”, à-la Michael Jackson, with my super team of loved ones, and the amazing Belgian medical team of ISALA (CHU St Pierre). And this is when I met Delphine Remy...

L'Artisan du Liban (ADL), is a social enterprise that aims at preserving Lebanese handicrafts and cultural heritage. They approached me to design a 7-piece collection of slippers & leather goods (bags, wallets & belts).  I chose to work with the traditional striped sayeh fabrics that I combined with leather to create a collection of 7 iconic pieces. The collection is available on their WEBSHOP....

  I was approached by Belgian fashion school HELMo Mode to give a leather-craft workshop to their 2nd year students. One of HELMo Mode 's main objectives is to reinforce the value and expertise of craftsmanship in fashion. >> Check out the video of the workshop!  I initially wrote a detailed text in French about the workshop, which is why you ll find the text below is...

When was it that you were able to answer the “what do you want to be when you grow up” question? It was only years passed – unconvincing - college studies that I was able to answer that question, and with reference to my previous article the trigger came on my 28th year. Do the math: this means that I was a...

It was 12 years ago, that I walked in the Johnny Farah (JF) House of leather accessories in Beirut, Lebanon. And there he was, sitting on an Arne Jacobsen leather chair, in his mid 60s, with his white Borsalino hat, his red eye glasses, his stylish sneakers and his feet up on a raw wooden table. I was 27, shy...

This blog post is a personal one. It is not meant to be dramatic or sad, but rather factual and hopeful. Some of you know me personally, some just by name. I am Kristina, the founder of Kinamania. In November 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer & fear Cancer. A word with so much fear behind it, so...

KINAMANIA X Les Ephémères Pop Up For the holiday season, we popped up with Les Ephémères in a lovely creative space in the trendy bohemian neighbourhood of the Marolles in Brussels, where we introduced our very first Parchment leather goods collection "It's a beautiful day" and also, lead our very first leather maker workshop. It was quite an exciting time for the brand. Parchment leather...

Meeting with the shoe maker. I just got back from a two-day trip to Portugal to meet with the shoe maker and take decisions for the upcoming KinaMania derbies collection that will launch early November.Decisions about the shoe last, leather character and colors, sole, heel, laces, stitching. So many details in a shoe, and it is this close attention to...

KINAMANIA POP UP JUNE 22-23 IN THE MAROLLES, BRUSSELS Three weeks ago, KinaMania popped up with 4 other brands in the Marolles neighbourhood of Brussels for a 2-day boutique concept. { I actually intended to write this post much earlier, but you know how time flies by, especially that I am in the midst of finalising the upcoming shoes and...

KINAMANIA X KANAL CENTRE POMPIDOU So much happening these days for KINAMANIA, with more to come in the near future. I can proudly announce that carefully selected styles of the kina abarca are on display at Kanal Centre Pompidou, the museum of modern and contemporary art and architecture in Brussels.   KINAMANIA SUSTAINABLE DISPLAY The kina display stand was designed expressly for Kanal...

THE MANIA FOR KINAS The mania for kinas – in other words the kinamania – began with a line of abarca-inspired flats. The popular Spanish sandal, is where it all started : it sparked KinaMania's adventure! KinaMania is a brand name with roots in menorquina and mallorquina, the alternative names for the Balearic slip-on which was originally handmade on the islands of Menorca and Mallorca....

THE 'SNEADAL'  A kinamaniac calls them the “sneadals”. She bought a kina pair of abarcas and she just can’t take them off! Most of us, women especially, have countless pairs of shoes in our closets, yet very few we actually wear. Why is this? Because as awesome as they might look, they are just not comfortable. And a pair of...

  KINAMANIA X SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY The people that we collaborate with are the most significant part of our work and of the products that you purchase from KINAMANIA. Artists, artisans and NGOs are behind each of our Voyage capsule collections. Being committed to bringing handicraft stories to global and socially conscious consumers, to date we have joined hands with two...