Shoes from Marikina, the Philippines' shoe capital since 1956, now have a foothold in a new retail setting: Spatio at the Opus Mall in Quezon City's Bridgetowne district, a mixed-use estate that straddles the boundary with Pasig. While Marikina-made footwear has long been available year-round at other stores, this latest wave departs from the sturdy school-type loafers the city is traditionally known for.

At a launch on Sept. 24 at Spatio, the store welcomed Zapateria, which operates both as a brand and as a creative hub in Marikina. Zapateria brought along seven other labels — Alunsinag, Hayo, Posh Pocket, Bucroe, Bida Loca, Charis, and WUMWUM — all housed under Spatio's Shoe Avenue section, named after a street in Marikina.

"Shoe Avenue is our way of honoring what came before us, drawing inspiration from what continues to be made today, and envisioning what Philippine footwear can still become," said Unyx Sta. Ana, Zapateria's founder, who herself comes from a family that has been making shoes since the 19th century, in a statement. "Marikina carries generations of skill, knowledge and stories, and that story is still being written."

The brands gathered at Shoe Avenue span a wide stylistic range. Hayo makes leather sandals. Posh Pocket creates light, easy loafers and flats that can be folded. Charis incorporates indigenous woven textiles into its shoes, while Bucroe, in the business since the 1970s, focuses on men's dress shoes. Bida Loca leans bohemian, as seen in thong sandals with studs, and Alunsinag takes a more avant-garde approach, visible in mules with block heels embroidered in gold. WUMWUM makes shoes for toddlers. Alongside them, Zapateria is presenting a new line made with woven leather strips.

In a speech at the launch, Ms. Sta. Ana said, "It's about time to bring this craftsmanship closer to where you guys are," noting that shoes from Marikina following this new wave are usually found only at trade shows, pop-ups, and in Marikina itself.

"For us to be able to bring forward Marikina, it's not just about us," she said in an interview with BusinessWorld. "These are the brands we know that share the same values with us, in terms of design philosophy fair labor practices, and we also produce in small, limited batches."

Marikina is better known for basic men's dress shoes and school shoes, Ms. Sta. Ana noted. "We want to be able to showcase a different take of what we make in Marikina."

Some Marikina shoemakers have complained that the large volume of cheap shoes entering the country from abroad has hurt their businesses — a grievance the city's shoemaking sector has voiced for years. One response is to concentrate on small-batch and bespoke footwear. "Why do we have to compete with the offshore countries? We should invest more in our own designs," Ms. Sta. Ana said. "It doesn't have to be in mass-production. It could be in small designs."

Ms. Sta. Ana also voiced satisfaction with the platform Spatio provides. "We saw how Spatio was designed, in a way that the brands here, local, sit along the global brands," she said. "More consumers could give value in the same way they give appreciation to the other global brands."

For her and the other brands, success is not measured by sales. "If we see more Marikina makers are inspired to make more creative footwear collections… and to see more Filipino consumers appreciating what we make," she said. Having witnessed trade shows at home and abroad, she compared how Filipino designs compete internationally: "We're more agile. We're more resourceful. You know, Filipinos — we don't have a lot, but we make the most of what we have."

Zapateria's entry brings the number of local brands available at Spatio to around 400. "This really segments the potential of the brands long-term. A lot of the brands don't have a home," said Spatio Deputy General Manager Martin de Leon. "We're building a community here that would strengthen our goal of really uplifting the local scene."

Shoe Avenue is now open at Spatio on the second floor of Opus Mall, Bridgetowne Destination Estate, Quezon City. Updates are available via @spatio.ph and @zapateriahub. How the new-generation designs fare outside the trade-show and pop-up circuit is one thing to watch as Shoe Avenue settles in.

— Joseph L. Garcia