Unmistakably sophisticated and bold, our heels capture a unique sense of couture fashion. When creating the first pair, the vision was crystal clear: no compromise in style, comfort and materials. Using the highest quality leather with a precious gemstone in every design, CARAT brings an authentic luxury influenced by classics with a modern twist.
Within two weeks of launch in December 2019 the brand was endorsed by key global influencers such as Jessica Kahawaty, Alice Abdulaziz, and Essra AlHajeri. Following it’s immediate industry support, I sat down (remotely) to ask the founder, Fatmah Al-Failakawi a few questions:
Choupette Social Girl (CSG): Who is the CARAT woman?
Fatmah Al-Failakawi (FA): “A confident, powerful yet feminine woman. CARAT designs are made for a woman who command making a statement when entering a room & leave impression when gone. However, I believe that “to be soft is to be powerful” & that concept was one of material & pattern choice factor in CARAT collection.”
CSG: How do you balance style, comfort and materials?
FA: “By integrating them all! It’s the concept of the brand, never to compromise comfort over style or material. That’s one of the reasons I chose to manufacture with the finest Italian factory that deal with the best Leather suppliers in the Country. CARAT style represent me, I design a shoe that I’d love to wear. And when it comes to material, there is nothing more elevated than an authentic leathers. Yet, each pair have double padding within to give optimum comfort feeling, or as I say “a walk over the clouds”. So you can see that every detail matters.”
CSG:What is your design process and what inspires you?
FA: “I’m inspired by art, architects & jewelries. Mixing them all in one way or another, the collection idea came to me one by one & lined up in consistent way. In the first collection I was so inspired by the ancient Greek architectural sculptures, so I made “ROMAN” heel as a first design & then each design made more sense & blended well as a collection. The synthetic ruby at the outsole & brand’s name were inspired by Jewelries. I wanted a name that reflect the idea of my designs, that it’s more than a pair of shoes, it’s a precious item.”
CSG: Your shoes invoke joy and one happens to be named Joy. How do you name your shoes?
FA: “This collection names were mostly inspired by ancient kings or empires “Alexander,Louis,Roman” except for Joy, It was named by my tutor & I loved keeping it as an appreciation to his efforts in assisting me during my startup.
I imagine my shoes as my soldiers, I give them Imaginary personalities & base on each they got their bold names. It’s like a story in my head & they play the main roles in it.”
CSG: What does a good pair of shoes mean to you?
FA: “Joy and pleasure. I absolutely love footwear & when I purchase a pair of shoes that is lovely & comfortable; Bingo!”
