Brazillian footwear brand Melissa has once again teamed up with Jean Paul Gaultier to launch a capsule collection to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their partnership, which began in 1983.
The innovative collaboration takes inspiration from the grunge aesthetics of the French design house and incorporates it into Melissa’s colorful and whimsical shoe silhouettes.
The collection introduces two new styles called the Punk Love Pump and the Becky Punk Love platform sandal. Both shoe silhouettes unite romantic gothic and light punk aesthetics with the addition of spike detailing, clear straps and platform soles.
The shoes, and all of Melissa’s styles, are crafted from Melflex, Melissa‘s proprietary material, which is vegan, 100% recyclable and has an average of 30% recycled material in its composition. This extremely light material guarantees comfort with any look. The “Punk Love” pump retails for $399 and comes in a range of funky colors including black, pink and a milky white. Similarly, the “Becky” platform sandal retails for $199 and comes in a pink, white, black and an additional pastel purple shade. The shoe sizing ranges from 33/34 to 39/40 for both models. The footwear harkens back to the 80s, evoking instant nostalgia.
Since 1976, Jean Paul Gaultier has been enchanting the world and the catwalks with his iconic creations, full of humor and irreverence. The child prodigy’s first collaboration with Melissa took place in 1983, when the Brazilian brand was only four years old, with the launch of a sneaker with an open design debuting in Melissa‘s portfolio of partnerships. With the launch of this 2023 iteration, a total of seven products make up the epic history of the collaborative work between Melissa and Jean Paul Gaultier.
The collaboration’s global launch takes place on May 12, 2023, with sales at Galeria Melissa New York, shopmelissa.com, Melissa Clubes and select multi-brand stores throughout the United States.
PHOTOS: See Melissa’s 2015 collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld.
About the Author:
Amina Ayoud is an Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where she writes stories about everything from celebrity style to breaking fashion and shoe releases. Ayoud cultivated a love of all things fashion early in life thanks to a deep love of fashion history and the luxury industry. In her free time, Ayoud is a self-proclaimed fashion nerd and thriftaholic.
