TEAM

“The challenge is to develop a new classic that doesn't already exist on the market—but that seems as if it had always been there.”

Parisian-born designer and entrepreneur Alexia Aubert has built a successful international career around footwear design. She began as an assistant at Christian Louboutin in 2004, and went on to be head of studio at Pierre Hardy, sketching shoes for both men and women. In 2010, she oversaw the transformation of Oscar de la Renta footwear from licensing into an in-house line. Her expertise in design and product development is complemented by her understanding of Italian craftsmanship and her long-established relationships with Italian factories. Her specialization in unisex designs tapped into the genderless zeitgeist even before it became a widespread fashion trend—and remains an essential part of her brand DNA. Having done consulting work for labels like Elie Saab, Mulberry, Balmain, and Leonard, she realized it was set up her own consulting studio.

“The simpler the shoe is visually, the more complicated it is to develop, and to get right.”

Marlène Mangin studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Lyon. Her specialization in print design has made her incredibly adept at sketching small-scale details with meticulous precision. She possesses incredible technical prowess: she knows how to make a pattern from A to Z, and is comfortable with every typology of shoe, from pumps to sneakers. Marlène first assisted Alexia on client consulting work four years; today, she is Alexia’s indispensable right-hand woman and a cherished associate in this consulting endeavour. She is involved in every aspect of the Jacques Solovière Paris brand: doing iconographic research and moodboard concepts, drawing and developing collections, creating prints on leather, sourcing materials from suppliers in Italy and Portugal, and overseeing prototypes in different factories.

“A shoe is composed of many puzzle pieces, of varied techniques—that’s why the level of expertise in this sector is so high.”

Cuban-born Alexander Paez Guerra started working in luxury retail as of 2010 (Gucci, Bottega Venetta, Marc Jacobs, Céline) before he joined the Jacques Solovière Paris team in 2017. Pursuing his passion for product in a new way, he honed his metier at Maimex Milano, which oversees all of the important luxury department stores in Japan. Alexander is as comfortable working with clients as he is with manufacturers. He has built his reputation on professionalism: he is exacting, thorough, and sets the highest technical standard; he is firm in his approach but adaptable and always solution-oriented. He works directly with factories in Tuscany and does in-person product quality-control inspections—he checks every item, one-by-one, rather than random spot checks, to meet the rigorous standards of our Japanese clientele.