Our passion for craftsmanship comes from a long lineage that we proudly uphold today. We love working with our family factories to bring new ideas to life while honoring the generations-old shoe-making skills and techniques our artisans have honed for years.  

One of our signature leather designs is our handwoven collection. With meticulous detail and slow handwork, these styles are truly wearable works of art. This season, we expanded this collection by introducing an open weave design. So, we sat down with Melody Dorward, our Product Development Lead to talk all about the new style!

TELL US ABOUT OUR NEW OPEN WEAVE DESIGN.

The RILEY is FRĒDA’s take on the “sheer” trend but in what we do best…handwovens. We love how it leaves your foot lightly exposed for a cool modern vibe but the leather is much more durable than a lot of the mesh versions we see today.

WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL?

The weave design itself is so special. The braided edge finish, the v-shaped high-cut topline with a round toe and a rubber sole to pound the pavement. Every detail was considered. We also designed it to be an easy slip-on with a ruched counter that remains snug to your heel as you walk. The cushy padded leather footbed is not so bad either.

TELL US ABOUT THE ARTISANS AND THEIR PROCESS. 

There are 60 workers at the factory and 35-40 weavers. Each upper is handwoven to the pattern, which requires a high level of technical skill and precision. The work time for 1 pair is between 8-10 hours depending on the experience and the speed of the worker.