Founded in 1979, Helsar is a brand focusing in luxury footwear, which has been focusing on new market segments, particularly with a personalized line of bridal shoes. A company supplying major international brands, Helsar was present at the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, as Pippa and Carol Middleton, mother and sister of the bride, were wearing Helsar-made shoes.

The latest innovation from Helsar is a partnership with Goris, a jewellery company developing the filigree parts for two pairs of shoes presented in Porto, during the international trade fair for jewellery and watchmaking. The shoes are now available for sale.

Patricia Correia, designer at Helsar, explains that these shoes can be ordered with silver or gold filigree, and the final price varies between 900 and 8 000 euros. The company is developing new models, using these metals and also precious stones. Shoes aimed at a particular niche market, intended for women who like to wear "unique and almost exclusive pieces", Patricia explains.

More recent is the brand NoStudio, created in 2014. The Felgueiras-based brand uses a combination of pearls, Swarovski crystals, brass applications, chains and piercings in both men and women shoes. Ana Garcia, a jewelry designer, and the person in charge of the creativity of the brand, actually says that NoStudio does not sell shoes, but jewelry for the feet.

Bold and sexy shoes aspiring to challenge the conventions of the fashion world through the "hybridization of functions and styles, the result of an architectural vision that considers the form, the shape and proportion". All in all, shoes that promise to offer an "elegance that feeds the dream, extolling the desire for sophisticated women and daring gentleman, igniting their sinful minds with a touch of romanticism", in the words of the creator.

For more information about Helsar and NoStudio please refer to their websites.

Image credits: NoStudio