Pedro Garcia

How it began

Pedro Garcia was born in Cuba to Spanish parents in 1912. Five years later, the family moved to Elda, in Spain. As a teenager, Garcia made shoes at home. The success of his first collection, featuring handmade children's shoes, allowed him to purchase machinery and hire a few artisans to assist with production. His business grew and in 1928 he opened his first factory, producing 50 pairs of children's shoes a day. When he rebuilt the firm after the Spanish civil war in 1939, Garcia added men's footwear.

In 1930, Garcia married and had five children. His eldest son, Pedro Garcia Jnr, joined the company in 1954 and, within two years, had expanded the range to women's shoes. In 1965, the company opened a new 4,000 square metre factory and, three years later, began concentrating on women's shoes, having been featured regularly in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. The shoes were sold in stores such as Henri Bendel's and Bergdorf Goodman in the US and Russell & Bromley in Britain.

In the 1970s, the firm began making shoes for US company Caressa under the Allure brand. The Garcia brand was resurrected in 1990 when the third generation of the family took over, with Mila Garcia running the management and her brother Pedro in charge of the creative side, with former Fashion Institute of Technology classmate Dale Dubovich.

The look

The spring/summer collection is a departure from the label's pretty, feminine aesthetic, so look for Swarovski crystal-pave skull ballet flats with grosgrain ribbon ties, black or white patent leather platform wedges, open-toe sandals with small jewelled skulls and pointy pumps with chains and star cut-outs. Fans of decorative femininity are also offered ballet flats and open-toe heels in frayed cotton featuring a calico print with a 1970s-style buckle and Swarovski crystals.