Charles & Keith collaborates with Cecilie Bahnsen for footwear collection

Launching this month, luxury clothing brand Cecilie Bahnsen has unveiled a collection of shoes created exclusively in collaboration with Charles & Keith, the Singaporean shoe and accessory brand.

The collaboration features four styles, three Mary Jane designs and a distinctive mule, reinterpreted by Cecilie, with the collection taking inspiration from school uniforms.

The collection revisits two of Cecilie’s fabrics, a recycled satin applying a hand-drawn quilted embroidery and a unique patchwork made from various fabrics, giving them a new life, pushing towards sustainability.

The shoe collection sees the return of patterns and colourways Cecilie debuted at her Fall/Winter 2019 show.

Cecilie Bahnsen, Founder and Creative Director, said: “I’ve always been fascinated by school uniforms. I think that explains why I loved the Mary Jane shoe in the Charles & Keith’s collection so much. It’s a traditional school-girlish shoe, but it also has that quality of a masculine-feminine contrast that I’m always looking for.

"Historically, the Mary Jane was not just a shoe for girls. Right into the 20th century little boys wore them too. We made ours super feminine, more lady than the shoes we’ve done before, working with patchwork and hand-drawn-embroidery. I think the combination of the Charles & Keith classic shape and our touch is very beautiful. It’s been really exciting to see how we can translate our universe into a shoe."

Charles & Keith commented: "The idea was to be truthful to Cecilie ́s DNA, her unique take on women’s femininity and being able to retranslate her poetic dresses into shoes.

"This collaboration was also about creating something unique and responsible, have a positive message through the Collection. Therefore, it came as an evidence to upcycle Cecilie’s beautiful fabrics to create a new whole one, a patchwork made bespoke and the usage of a Recycled Satin material for the hand-drawn quilted embroidery styles.”

The associated campaign, shown above was shot on location by Benedict Brink at Herlufsholm School, Denmark’s most prestigious boarding school, traditionally known for educating the sons of aristocracy and the industrial elite.

The collections price starts at £225 and is available now.