About Feliz
I'm very happy to welcome you to Feliz, my shoes and accessories brand, and my story.
I am Dorien de Herdt, a shoe and accessory designer and the founder of Feliz.
As a young designer, I studied at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy. While exhibiting my exam work in the 1990s, I was asked to work for a large, playful, young shoe retailer. Here, I became part of a dynamic purchasing team.
During this period, my love for craftsmanship, leather, shoes and bags emerged. To this day, I love the smell of leather, the sound of the machines, everything that comes with the craft of making shoes and bags.
During my years of experience as an employed concept and product designer, I traveled a lot for well-known brands, I learned a lot, and met beautiful people; but unfortunately I also saw too much sadness at the time, visiting the factories in which fashion was (and is) being produced.
Are you aware of the size of the footprint you leave behind when buying fast fashion, whether it's an accessory, shoes or a bag? Do you ever think about the living environment and working conditions of the hardworking people who put together your wardrobe?
Are you aware that we also have authentic craftsmen and ateliers not far from home?
Do you know that a lot of traditional knowledge is slowly being lost here in Europe?
In 2007, I lost my beloved mother and my world stood still. Everything was different, and when my tears dried I made an agreement with myself that I was going to do everything different.
In the autumn of 2008, my first first collaborations crafting shoes with a number of fantastic artisan makers in Spain were established.
A few years later I also started collabs in Portugal. Always with true professionals who have a lot of passion for the product they produce. These people are still the building blocks of FELIZ.
At Feliz, European craftsmanship is guaranteed.
Feliz stands for a working environment where human norms and values are absolutely not lost, and where the artisan maker receives a fair reward for the product he produces. Where I try to further reduce Feliz's footprint.
Feliz is a modest company with respect for its environment.
To see my designs come to life, I travel to the workshops and studios where my designs are made. I look for leather myself and talk to the makers involved in this process. This is a transparent process.
Feliz is characterized by pure materials, European leather and wool felt translated into a pair of espadrilles, wedges or slippers and boots or hat with a clean and stylish line and a boho chic feminine look.
And Feliz is not just about me.
Our collection is the result of hard work by a group of loyal craftsmen in Southern Europe, made with you in mind.
Make that choice: do everything different. Go for Feliz.
Created with lots of love,
Dorien