Riga’s first design studio for shoes

“Shoes have a lot in common with architecture in terms of function, technology and aesthetics”, explains the Latvian designer. After several years’ experience as an architect, she founded her own atelier, ZoFa – Riga’s first design studio for shoes.

It is a platform for creation, sustainable business concepts and traditional hand-crafted shoes, and a well-established meeting place for the city’s creative talents. Based on the assumption that shoes are small houses for the feet, Elina injects her architectural experience into designing avant-garde men’s and ladies’ styles. No design comes anywhere close to contemporary trends. Elina concentrates on the shape, colour and comfort of each and every style – with a penchant for black. “Every shoe is hand-crafted from a collection of memories”, explains Dobele. The reputation of her unique designs has travelled as far as Russia, Germany, Great Britain and Japan.

www.elinadobele.com