Shoes float in the front window. Not literally, but they dangle from ribbons that blur away as color saturates your world: crimson red, velvet royal blue, sunflower yellow, and pastel linen. The never-ending display flaunts rainbow shades, Mary Jane silhouettes, and material options for days.
Welcome to Cayumas, the Italian footwear gem in the heart of the Spanish capital. Here, the Italian friulane finds a home. Flat, rubber-based, and with 19th-century Venetian origins, the friulane has been revolutionized by Borja and Ana Cerrato, the husband-and-wife design team helming it all.
Why rubber? Why Venice? Well, if you know anything about Italy in the 1800s, it is that times were unstable. Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Red Shirt movement transformed the country into a unified republic in 1861. Previously a disjointed peninsula of city-states, Italy was a portrait of economic strife, political rebellion, and, by contrast, innovation from the country’s poorest regions to stay competitive with a rapidly modernizing era.
This is where Venice comes in. Sailing through its turquoise canals, the gondoliers needed a comfortable, slip-resistant shoe for their balance-required, water-related jobs. There was only one problem: no one could afford shoes, let alone get their hands on a cobbler to make their own. So the Venetians and their neighbors in Friuli-Venezia Giulia scraped together what they could recycle. Bicycle tires, old dishrags, rope, twine. Typically trashcan finds, these materials became footwear treasures. Born out of desperation, the friulane is an early example of sustainable fashion with an emphasis on reusability.
It is this same sustainable approach that Cayumas stitches into its craftsmanship today.
Rubber soles derived from bicycle tires are cut in one piece so the stitching is never broken. The result? A flexible, light-as-air flat that is surprisingly durable and elegantly adaptable for any season, summer or winter, and every aesthetic in between.
“Our artisan is the fourth generation of shoemakers, and is one of the last [traditional] artisans still in business in Europe,” said Co-founder Ana Cerrato. “We did not choose the region, either. The friulanes are made in Friuli. Of course, similar models are mass-produced in China, India, Vietnam, and even here in Spain. But to compare it, you can’t produce a Bordeaux or Rioja wine anywhere else but in Bordeaux and Rioja, or else they can’t be wines from these regions. The same goes for our friulanes; they must be produced and handmade in Friuli to maintain the essence of the shoe: tradition and authenticity.”
Men’s, women’s, and children’s styles are available for both on-location shoppers and the digital client taking advantage of Cayumas’ worldwide shipping. But for the Italophile, it’s impossible to ignore some of the women’s highlights, such as the Pagliacci collection. A traditional, strapless friulane, the Pagliacci shoe is available in an array of colors. Blu Notte, Menu Zucchero, Nero, Cioccolato, Rosa Arancione, and Bruciato Sole are just a sprinkling of the shades found on Cayumas’ Italian rainbow.
The popular Boheme collection features a friulane-like shape, complete with a feminine strap that secures the top of the foot. Bordeaux, the collection’s best selling color, elevates a casual, comfortable flat with a dark shade’s sophistication. Organic velvet, recycled soles, and nickel-free buckles on this model merge the brand’s signature eco-friendliness with the dainty timelessness of a Mary Jane silhouette. Cayumas further honors the friulane’s sustainable heritage by avoiding glue of any kind, which means zero toxin waste gets discarded during production.
Aida, Traviata, and Rule are other silhouette options that, in different shapes and cuts, maintain the slip-on, slip-off convenience of the classic friulane.
Stretchy cotton socks accompany your Cayumas package when it arrives, in earthy, cozy tones perfect for the fall and winter. The accessories category only flourishes from there. Shady, wide-brimmed hats, knitted balaclavas, woolen caps, edgy berets, mittens, and shawls complement your winter or summer layers with Cayumas.
Each delivery, like the Madrid flagship, also comes fragranced. Yes, even from Madrid. Famed perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin cultivated four, one-of-a-kind scents straight from Grasse, France. Not only is the brand a footwear statement-maker, but a sensory experience that makes floral, citrus, forest, and fruity aromas synonymous with the Italian friulane, Cayumas style.
“At Cayumas, we always had the idea that although the friulanes were the beginning, they would never be the end,” continued Cerrato. “We never saw ourselves as shoe sellers, but rather people who wanted to share a certain kind of lifestyle. At home, one of our teenagers is a fragrance enthusiast, and despite his age, insisted we delve into this category. So we managed to meet Fabrice Pellegrin in Grasse, only with an idea and a dream, nothing more. Thank God we had chemistry; he treated us so wonderfully and decided to collaborate. Four months later, we received a parcel from Fabrice with the four fragrances he’d created just for us. We were stunned; he really understood what we’d wanted.”
It is this niche for being different and seizing the unexpected that drives Cayumas today. With collaborations with influencers such as Amanda Brooks and Leandra Cohen, brands like Skall and Aerin NY, and even a presence at glittering invite-only events like Dior’s Fall/Winter 2024 show, Cayumas has solidified itself as a haute couture brand delivering Italian tradition to the fashion elites.
“We’ve never addressed a brand for our collabs,” explained Cerrato. “They’ve always contacted us, which is such a compliment. Dior invited us to their Fall/Winter 2024 show, which was unbelievable, and now we are developing a partnership with Jo Malone. There are so many exciting things to come, and we’ve only been growing while we still stay loyal to our traditionalism and Italian authenticity.”
What’s next in the world of Cayumas? Some developing partnerships of note are with Jo Malone and French fabrics designer Casa Lopez. Cerrato also has a presence at The Ritz Hotel in her home city of Madrid, which has paved the way for beauty and fragrance brands to take note of Cayumas’ lifestyle aesthetic.
“We are now working on a beauty line, which will include not only eau de parfum but also candles with the same smell,” teased Cerrato. “We are also about to launch a new version of our website, and hope that everyone will enjoy it."
Enter Cayumas’ world at cayumas.com and shop wherever you are in the world.
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