Jelly shoes

Its name comes from the French company called Jelly Shoes, founded by Tony Alano and Nicolas Guillon in 1980 in Paris.

After world war II, man-made materials such as plastics were cheap alternatives to natural textiles, such as leather or cotton.

The French company Sarraizienne claims to have created the first shoe in PVC in the 50's, and they were used by fishermen for their low price and ease of cleaning.

[1][2][4][5] With a loan from Nicolas's mother, they purchase two hundred Sarrazienne's 'fisherman's' shoes and with the help of Tony's brother, a chemist, they create a special dye.

[1][4] There is also an account that the friendship Tony had with artist Salvador Dalí in Paris inspired the creation of Jelly Shoes.

[10] The winter models, or "Robin Hood" boots, were walking shoes with laces and jacquard lining, and escarpins decorated with a bow tie.

[1][3][12] In many ways, it was the perfect partnership, as the combination of the experimental, artistic and trendy company Jelly Shoes with the manufacturing power that was Grendene proved to be highly successful.

Boutiques and stores around the world, influenced by Parisian fashions, started ordering an ever growing number of the shoes.

In the United States in 1983, Doris Johanson of the New York department store Bloomingdale's ordered 2400 pairs of a model of Jelly Shoes she had spotted in Europe.