Yolancris discusses with the Alicante based shoe designer Ana Marttin, creator of a five-piece SS20 and bridal capsule for the Firm, about craftsmanship and the social responsibility of brands.

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Yolancris – Strong advocates of craftsmanship, you have placed the brand in a privileged place thanks to designs that maintain the balance between avant-garde and tradition. It’s safe to say that craftsmanship is the pillar on which Ana Marttin is based.

Ana Marttin – Craftsmanship is part of our DNA: this is the third generation dedicated to the exciting world of footwear, always associated with the “made in Spain”. When you buy Ana Marttin, you are not just buying shoes, you are living an experience. For this reason we offer all our clients the possibility of customizing them and making them their own.

Craftsmanship, customization and experience, you are familiar with the concept of “new luxury”.

For us these values ​​represent true luxury, being able to make the product to the client’s taste, choosing the type of leather and details, from bows, tassels, embroidery … Anything you can imagine, thanks to our craftsmen and the love we have for this profession, we can make it possible. Our motto continues with the legacy left by my grandfather Martín Martínez Ibáñez, the founder of Martinelli: the “reasonable luxury”. We only work with high quality leather, obtaining unique products, at a price that corresponds to the quality and work that each of our pieces implies.

Producing in an artisanal way and with quality materials effectively affects the price, but the new luxury goes far beyond the traditional premise of refinement, exclusivity and elitism.

Ana Marttin has always wanted its activity to have an impact on the local environment through an ethical approach in which 100% of its shoe production is manufactured in the province of Alicante, mainly between Elche and Elda. Sustainability is not just a label or a colour. Manufacturing in this way, paying the right salaries to the artisans and working with the right materials, must be accompanied by a fair price. It can be perceived as high since we are used to fast fashion prices, but we have to realize that crafts represent sustainability in fashion and are the heart of every society. By protecting crafts, we protect the planet and communities.

Trades are in danger and it is also one of the values ​​that we at Yolancris want to promote and preserve. However, Spain is very different from other countries in Europe, with many diverse regions with very rich crafts.

For us, it could not be otherwise, we need to preserve crafts and only if we stay in our country, we can continue with our philosophy. We cannot understand it otherwise. Although it is the least easy way, we will stay in Spain, in the province of Alicante, as long as there are artisans and professionals who fight for this same objective of preserving the craftsmanship and the legacy of our country.

Much debated today, and whose weight has been accentuated during the covid19 health emergency, this commitment would be part of the brand’s social responsibility.

The responsibility of brands is simply to apply common sense, respecting the environment, being part of the sustainability of our lifestyle. I don’t think there is a need to market it, or advertise the causes you are supporting, I believe that each brand can help in silence.

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