Click your heels!

Platforms and sandals and mules, oh my! If you believe a great outfit starts from the shoes up, you need to know about Martha Louisa, the new online retail destination dedicated entirely to footwear.

Martha Louisa is founded by Susanne and Christoph Botschen, the husband-andwife team behind the Munich-based luxury fashion site Mytheresa. Having sold that business in 2014, they observed how the e-com industry was overwhelming shoppers with choice (a feeling familiar to anyone who’s waded through a New In section). ‘ We felt that the customer doesn’t get a sense of curation any more,’ explains Susanne. ‘It’s time for specialists now.’

So, rather than subscribing to a more, more, more ethos, Martha Louisa (the name refers rather tenuously to the different sides of a woman’s personality) promises ‘concentrated, curated choice’. ‘I can’t tell you what attracts me or doesn’t, it’s always been a gut feeling,’ says Susanne. What she is clear about is the transformative effect footwear can offer: ‘If you wear the right pair, you feel good.’

Part of Martha Louisa’s specialist mantle is shining a spotlight on emerging brands; names like Oscar Tiye, Yuul Yie and Aeyde will be sold alongside powerhouses like Balenciaga, Gucci and Aquazzura. The site launches on 15 March with a Prada capsule collection of candy-coloured brocade sandals and slippers (top). A worldwide exclusive with Leandra Medine’s MR by Man Repeller line follows shortly.

So, one question remains: heels or flats? ‘Both!’ says Susanne. Spoken like a true footwear fanatic. marthalouisa.com