Banker turned footwear designer Jennifer Chamandi Boghossian immersed herself in weekend classes at London’s renowned Cordwainers at London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins to pursue a childhood dream of shoe design. She was inspired by her passion for “le talon aiguille” – the needle stiletto.
Jennifer Chamandi, the Lebanese-born, London-based footwear designer
The UK native studied Italian intensely for four months in order to secure one of the most skilled factories in Italy – the same used by Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik. The global buying director of Net-A-Porter, Elizabeth von der Goltz, dubbed the label one to watch, thanks to the distinct gold-plated ‘eye of the needle’ detail on each stiletto heel. The recognizable carved gold inlet in each heel can be paired with a bracelet to keep the foot in place.
You can shop Jennifer Chamandi’s debut collection at Farfetch, Harrods, and Net-A-Porter.
Baby pink ‘Lorenzo’ patent-leather pumps, $745 at Net-A-Porter
These ‘Lorenzo’ pumps are handmade from baby-pink patent-leather and rest on a 65mm heel. Unthread the buckled strap through the signature ‘eye of the needle’ cutout for a minimal look.
Red ‘Lorenzo’ patent leather pumps, $745 at Browns Fashion
Pink ‘Lorenzo’ patent leather pumps, $745 at Harrods
Black leather ‘Lorenzo’ leather point-toe flats, $665 at Net-A-Porter
These point-toe ‘Lorenzo’ flats are crafted from smooth black leather and finished with the label’s signature ‘eye of the needle’ detail at each heel. You can wear them with or without the buckled strap.
‘Lorenzo’ leopard-print calf hair and patent-leather pumps, $825 at Net-A-Porter
These ‘Lorenzo’ pumps are made from glossy beige patent-leather and paneled with leopard-print calf hair at the back.
Sky-blue leather ‘Lorenzo’ patent-leather pumps, $745 at Net-A-Porter
These ‘Lorenzo’ pumps are meticulously handcrafted from glossy sky-blue patent-leather and set on a pin-thin stiletto heel. The removable strap threads through an ‘eye of the needle’ teardrop cutout to rest across the arch of your foot.
Sand suede ‘Lorenzo’ suede point-toe flats, $665 at Net-A-Porter
This ‘Lorenzo’ style has been crafted from soft suede at the label’s Milanese atelier and finished with the brand’s signature ‘eye of the needle’ detail on each heel.
Red ‘Lorenzo’ suede pumps, $745 at Net-A-Porter
Jennifer Chamandi’s patented ‘eye of the needle’ heel took nine months to refine, and every single one is handmade in a family-run Italian atelier.
Pink and red ‘Roland’ two-tone suede sandals, $780 at Net-A-Porter
The gold ‘eye of the needle’ cutout is what makes her pieces distinctive, and the slim central strap of these sandals can be detached when you want a clean finish.
‘Rolando’ leopard-print calf hair and leather sandals, $825 at Net-A-Porter
These sandals are crafted from black leather and trimmed with leopard-print calf hair. They fasten with two slim straps, one of which is completely detachable and threads though a teardrop cutout – a detail which took nine months to develop.
Beige ‘Rolando’ patent-leather sandals, $780 at Net-A-Porter
These ‘Rolando’ sandals are handmade from glossy beige leather and threaded with a delicate detachable strap that frames the arch of the foot.
‘Vittorio’ leopard-print calf hair and patent-leather point-toe flats, $745 at Net-A-Porter
These pointy ‘Vittorio’ flats are made from pink patent-leather and leopard-print calf hair that create such a cool contrast.
‘Vittorio’ leopard-print calf hair and patent-leather slingback pumps, $825 at Net-A-Porter
This ‘Vittorio’ pair has been handmade in Italy from leopard-print calf hair and beige patent-leather.
‘Vittorio’ patent-leather and zebra-print calf hair slingback pumps, $825 at Net-A-Porter
This pair is constructed from pink patent-leather and zebra-print calf hair, and will look especially chic with cropped denim.
Black ‘Vittorio’ patent-leather slingback pumps, $745 at Net-A-Porter
These black patent-leather ‘Vittorio’ slingback pumps feature the label’s signature ‘eye of the needle’ detail – a detachable ankle strap that pierces through a gold teardrop-shaped eyelet on the stiletto heel.
‘Vittorio’ zebra-print calf hair and patent-leather point-toe flats, $745 at Net-A-Porter
This point-toe pair is made from patent-leather and zebra-print calf hair and finished at the heel with a signature ‘Eye of the Needle’ detail to thread an extra strap through.
