Via Spiga Collaborates with Vena Cava to Sponsor Fashion Week Presentation, Create Footwear Collection

ST. LOUIS, August 13, 2008 – Via Spiga is collaborating with fashion designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava to create a capsule shoe collection for the label’s spring 2009 ready-to-wear presentation. Via Spiga is the exclusive sponsor of the Vena Cava presentation, which will be held during New York Fashion Week at The Chelsea Art Museum.

Mayock and Buhai teamed with Via Spiga’s U.S. and Italy-based designers, headed by Creative Director Gianfranco Massetti (known as “Mose´”), to develop a limited edition footwear collection to complement the spring ready-to-wear line. Models in Vena Cava’s September 6 presentation will don one of four specially crafted styles in a variety of colors. Following their Fashion Week debut, the shoes will be on display at Via Spiga’s flagship Soho store, scheduled to open in fall 2008, and on ViaSpiga.com.

The Vena Cava duo was recently named as one of ten finalists for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)/VOGUE Fashion Fund initiative, which provides financial support and business mentorship for emerging designers. This is Mayock and Buhai’s second consecutive year in the top ten.

“Lisa and Sophie are remarkably talented designers who understand the intricacies of creating beautiful yet wearable fashion for women – just as Via Spiga strives to do with our footwear – and we’re proud to be the sole sponsor of their Fashion Week presentation,” said Brown Shoe Wholesale President Rick Ausick. “The shoes we’ve developed together uniquely blend Via Spiga’s heritage of Italian style with Vena Cava’s modern edginess.”

The Vena Cava spring collection was inspired by Ancient Egyptian symbolism, astrology and shapes and lines from mid 90's fashion. The color palate is tonal, dusty, and sun bleached – almost like a desert landscape filled with hidden gems and minerals. Materials and details include nubuck, tumbled calf, vacchetta and metal triangular hardware.

“We're so excited to be working with Via Spiga on our premiere footwear collaboration. For us to be able to collaborate with a brand that not only shares our sensibility, but also has extensive resources and impeccable manufacturing, is more than we could have hoped for,” said Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava.

Via Spiga takes its name from the exclusive and sophisticated Via della Spiga in Milan, a boutique-filled avenue that attracts those who desire to stroll and shop, see and be seen. Via Spiga footwear is designed to embody that spirit, with shoes steeped in a heritage of pure Italian designs, leathers and materials. The brand offers additional accessory categories, including handbags, eyewear, outerwear, hosiery and men’s footwear.