Sick Of Sore Feet? These Malaysian Sisters Created Heels That Are Cute & Comfy
Look good without sacrificing comfort.
By Tamara Jayne — 05 Jan 2023, 06:12 PM
Gone are the days when we would painfully walk around in heels for the sake of looking good.
Comfort is key. But when comfort looks good too, that's something worth talking about.
Meet Amy and Esther. Born in Melaka and raised in KL, these two sisters are changing the game when it comes to how we view women's footwear.
Looking good shouldn't need to come with such a high price.
Whether you're working all day, attending an event, or just heading out for brunch with the girls, the last thing you should be longing for is to go home to fling off your heels.
Taking that into account, Amy and Esther started Machino, a women's footwear brand that comes with thick foam insoles and a local twist to its designs
It's not that easy to find heels that look trendy, are easy to match, and yet feel comfortable. But these sisters made it happen.
No more blisters and no more painful lower backs.
"Our mum had her own fashion brand for the past 10+ years and we always knew it was what we wanted to do and explore in our lives. Coincidentally, we reconnected with an uncle who has been manufacturing shoes in Malaysia for the past 20 years and the rest is history," Amy, who is 24, and Esther, 26, shared with SAYS.
"Both my sister and I love fashion and shoes, in particular, because an outfit can never be complete without a good pair of shoes!"
Machino was started as a passion project in 2020, before the sisters were confident enough to turn it into a business. Wanting to make it inclusive to all Malaysians, the name 'Machino' was derived with 'Ma', which stands for MA(lay), CH(inese), IN(dian), O(thers).
With that in mind, they always include fabrics that are found in different Malaysian cultures into their shoe designs for each collection
"For example, we used handwoven songket fabric for our Raya collection, batik fabric for our Merdeka collection, saree laces in our Deepavali collection 2021, and we are using Chinese brocade for our Fruits Language collection that is our Chinese New Year collection for 2023!"
"[We] call it 'Fruit Language' as it's a normality in Malaysian culture for how we express our love and care to each other. Growing up, our parents, grandparents, neighbours, and friends gave each other fruit and fruit baskets during special occasions, be it an open house, a cultural celebration, a normal house visit, and many more."
"With that, the 'Fruit Language' collection is inspired by the colours of our everyday fruits such as mandarin oranges, dragon fruit, and pineapple!"
Aside from heels, they and their small team also design flats. Each pair is delicately handcrafted by local shoemakers and made to 'feel like you're walking on clouds'.
"One of the most surreal moments since starting our brand is when we see random people wearing Machino shoes on the streets. Our friends also take part in the 'Machino hunting' activity as they always snap and send us a picture of anyone wearing Machino shoes when they are out and about," the sisters shared.
"It's really heartwarming knowing that our supportive friends are on this journey with us. A lot of our customers and community also show support towards our brand and it's heartwarming that we get to see and meet them, as some of them have been with us since day one."
You can find Machino's footwear online or at Parkson in Pavilion Bukit Bintang
