Meet Luciana Stoica, founder of Lejer Boutique
Lejer Boutique is a Made in Italy inclusive shoe brand for women with slightly wider feet designed in Switzerland.
Today’s shoe production is full of standard shoes that are designed to be inclusive but exclude women with slightly wider feet. Although shoes with different widths exist, they do not typically flatter women’s feet or outfits. In fact, women are forced to cram their feet into shoes that are stylish but also painful.
In 2020, with this scenario in mind, Luciana Stoica decided to create Lejer Boutique: the Swiss shoe brand born to show women that they don’t have to settle down for less. All Lejer Boutique’s shoes are produced in Italy with the highest standard of craftsmanship and materials by local artisans.
“As a complete beginner in the shoe-making industry, Italian Artisan helped me tremendously in finding the producer as well as managing the product development. Without their help, I would have required much more time to learn the process and establish the right connections with the producers.”
– Luciana Stoica, Founder of Lejer Boutique
In the first year of the brand’s life, Luciana created a limited colourful collection, inspired by the Roaring ’20s. She used this collection to learn more about the women they were serving, to test for comfort and to get feedback. For Autumn/Winter 2023, Luciana will be using all of the learnings from the first collection and focus on pieces which are foundational to every woman’s wardrobe: shoes, loafers and boots.
“As a complete beginner in the shoe-making industry, Italian Artisan helped me tremendously in finding the producer as well as managing the product development. Without their help, I would have required much more time to learn the process and establish the right connections with the producers.”
– Luciana Stoica, Founder of Lejer Boutique
In the first year of the brand’s life, Luciana created a limited colourful collection, inspired by the Roaring ’20s. She used this collection to learn more about the women they were serving, to test for comfort and to get feedback. For Autumn/Winter 2023, Luciana will be using all of the learnings from the first collection and focus on pieces which are foundational to every woman’s wardrobe: shoes, loafers and boots.
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INCLUSIVITY AS THE KEY PRINCIPLE
Luciana’s mission is to change the game for women with slightly wider feet. For this reason, she believes in the importance of providing fewer, better pieces that can make our lives easier. That’s why, with Lejer Boutique, she makes shoes with extra room for your toes and that provide extra cushioning and support.
Lejer Boutique’s design philosophy is simple: no matter if your feet are slightly wider than the standard size or if you have high or low arches, everyone should be able to wear high-quality shoes that feel amazing on their feet and look even better on them.
“We believe that no one should ever have to settle for uncomfortable shoes just because their feet do not match the industry’s standard. We all deserve a pair of shoes we could wear all day long and still look chic enough for an evening out with friends or family members.”
– Luciana Stoica, Founder of Lejer Boutique
“We believe that no one should ever have to settle for uncomfortable shoes just because their feet do not match the industry’s standard. We all deserve a pair of shoes we could wear all day long and still look chic enough for an evening out with friends or family members.”
– Luciana Stoica, Founder of Lejer Boutique
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THE ITALIAN INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN
Lejer boutique was founded from a heartfelt desire to improve women’s lives. Luciana’s idea is to create something extraordinarily feminine, inspired by the 20s, timeless with a spark.
The design is often inspired by the architecture, sculptures and paintings in Florence, Italy. The shoes’ design process includes brainstorming sessions on the brand theme, sketching of different versions and also some trend search. Nevertheless, Luciana does not follow any trends to get inspiration, since she wants her designs to be timeless.
“As a young brand, getting yourself known is a key element of the success, hence promoting the brand is what Italian Artisan can support with, and actually has supported our brand with.”
– Luciana Stoica, Founder of Lejer Boutique
