The brand

For a long time I lived a double life working full-time in a production company by day and teaching Swing dance by night. In September 2016 I decided to quit my day job to start my own shoe brand, Swivells.

Between my hours running around and playing a sport that subjects my feet to strong impacts, I've put my feet to test for a long time, developing a Morton's neuroma (swelling of the healing tissue around the nerves of the toes causing severe pain). Like me, a majority of Swing dancers practice this dance in derbies and city boots as can be found in many generalist brands. Over the evenings, they develop pain in the soles of their feet, but also in their knees, hips and backs. It is in response to this observation that my partner Christophe and I decided to create affordable and quality shoes, combining comfort and style, that would allow us to wear the same pair from morning to evening while feeling good there.

To begin my adventure I flew to Portugal; the country of leather shoes, to search for raw materials and a passionate shoemaker. I must admit that my experience as a swing dancer changed my life!

Today we still live these adventures side-by-side: trying to craft the most comfortable and stylish shoes at Swivells and teaching Swing dance at Jazzy Feet.

Swivells was created in 2017 at the heart of Batignolles, in Paris. In this old parisian neighborhood the leathers are studied, the data sheets are made, and the shoes are designed. The rest happens near Porto, Portugal, in a family workshop.

The shoes are made with patience and precision with emphasis on both comfort and style.

For comfort, we choose our stiffeners carefully (thin and short so the heels aren’t supported by a rigid material), our inner soles (thick and quilted), our leathers (soft, to adapt to our feet) and outer soles (in leather, to fit perfectly when walking).

For style, we try to design shoes that challenge our usual way of dressing. Most of the time we choose our clothes carefully before deciding and at the very end of the process which pair of shoes will fit our outfit better. Swivells enables us to change this by offering shoes that don’t go unnoticed. Don’t be afraid to wear shoes that stand out and choose your outfit depending on which Swivells shoes you put on!