Today Is Different… Introducing aeyde mantras.
We at aeyde rethink and question the idea of luxury constantly – it drives our work and products. Yet, in the past months, we were forced to do so more than ever. New global circumstances pushed us to create new ideas and mindsets. To rethink values and define not only what our brand and product look like but also what we believe in.
Therefore, we focus not just on showcasing our products, but also what’s in our hearts, minds and bodies. This is why we created aeyde mantras. They are a series of slogans – almost like a manual if you want – of positivity and optimism.
Each week for the next six weeks, we take you on a journey behind one of our six mantras. Together, we explore the meaning and motivation behind the words.
We are back to magic and can reimagine the world and how we’d like to act in it. Anyone can write the script.
All aeyde footwear is made in Italy. We make everything by hand in family-owned ateliers using luxury-grade leathers that are by-products of the local food industry. Following government orders, these ateliers closed in March 2020 to protect their workers against the spread of Covid-19, bringing our sampling and production to a sudden halt.
This mantra is a tribute to the people who make our products. Their skilled craftsmanship and dedication to high quality is felt in every piece of our Pre-Fall '20 Collection, delivered against the odds, after nearly 60 days of lockdown.
Invest in and cherish a positive mindset.
aeyde commissioned Self Practice, a global community exploring the intersect of well-being, art and design, to create an exclusive series of 10 journal prompts. They are designed to aide self-discovery by asking each of us to reflect on our core values and define our own versions of luxury.
Journal prompts and questions for you to sit with and consider this week.
1. What does self-care afford you?
2. Where do you go to feel inspired?
3. Who / what / where influences your creativity?
4. What materials make you feel inspired / grounded?
5. What defines luxury? List specific examples.
6. List five core values that shape your everyday life.
7. How do your values inform your wardrobe practices?
8. What makes you feel at home in yourself?
9. If you could gift yourself anything in the world, what would it be?
10. What do you already have to be grateful for?
Take these prompts to pen and paper.
Think and feel motivated. Walk with intention.
We worked with Albertine van Iterson and Steph Cusack, founders of she she retreats, to create a playlist for an afternoon walk filled with positive thoughts. These 15 optimistic tracks promise to take us on a multi-sensory journey, combining physical movement and contemporary spirituality with creative exploration.
she she is a wellbeing collective for women who dare to dream. Their retreats take place in Mallorca and Berlin.
A walking meditation for positive thoughts
Observe how you are walking. Feel the rhythm of your legs and arms. Do you feel stiff or free? Take a moment to become aware of your posture. Look up and forwards, not down at your feet. What do you see? Take interest in the world around you.
Feel your feet against the pavement, how you press first heel then toe against the insole of your shoe with each step, before pushing off and moving forwards. Feel the positive dynamic of this action.
Walk in time with the music, coming back to the rhythm of your steps when you feel your thoughts are drifting. Relax your shoulders and feel your spirits lift as the melodies fill your body.
Albertine and Steph’s favourite tracks
Askja, Dreyma
An ethereal track to wake you from your slumber and ease you gently into the outside world. Follow the beat for a walking meditation.
Om Supreme, Alice Coltrane
The lesser known Coltrane but by no means less divine - Alice took the road less travelled from spiritual jazz to the ashram. Honour the nature around you as you listen.
aeyde went to Haus am Waldsee in south west Berlin to shoot the Pre-Fall '20 Collection.
The 1920s country villa opened as an art gallery in January 1946. It was one of the first institutions in Germany to show international contemporary art.
Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore and Max Ernst were presented to post-war Berlin for the first time here.
Exhibitions at Haus am Waldsee restored the reputations of Oskar Schlemmer, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Käthe Kollwitz and Hermann Blumenthal.
Today, the focus is on Berlin’s contemporary creative art scene. The light, airy former living rooms are a pleasant backdrop to sculpture, painting and performance art.
The story of this modern art centre shows the power of this week’s mantra. The creation of a new reality is always possible.
We are in the driver's seat.
It’s a mindset not a status quo.
Scandinavian creator Tine Andrea, known for her moody and arresting photographs, shines in our CELIA hand-knotted sandal.
Like everyone else, Tine’s life was upended by the unusual circumstances of the past few months. In this series shot in Oslo exclusively for aeyde she radiates positivity - despite the challenges occurring out of shot.
Luisa Dames, co-founder and creative director of aeyde, introduces the Pre-Fall ‘20 collection. She explains how lockdown measures introduced in March changed everything at aeyde, from one day to the next.
Tell us about “Mantras”.
With our Pre-Fall campaign this year, we really felt the urge to communicate what’s in our hearts, minds and bodies. It’s why we created the aeyde mantra series. It’s a series of slogans spreading a positive spirit of new beginnings. They are our ideas, our minds, our values, and they are what we believe in.
Where did the idea come from?
The past months have been challenging for everyone, including aeyde. We were meant to shoot our new Pre-Fall ‘20 collection in March but with the Covid-19 outbreak we had to change all of our company plans. The global lockdown really shook everything up. Everything changed from one day to the next: our Berlin team worked from home, our factories in Italy all closed, sampling stopped, production stopped, and of course all our store partners closed as well.
The past months pushed us really hard to rethink — and not just rethink our campaign concept but also our values in general. We started to redefine not only what our brand and product look like, but also what we believe in. During the whole period of ups and downs, our mindset was still filled with positivity and optimism. We changed from “business as usual” to “today is different”. And, you know, we thought: we have to do something really different. So we created a series of mantras, and we’ll share them over the next six weeks.
What does “We are all present-tense” mean to you?
We are living in the now, we are not living in the future or the past. It’s about saying “Okay, what can we in this very moment change, achieve or do differently?” We keep a very positive idea of this new now.
Tell us a bit about the new collection.
It's almost a miracle that we are now able to launch this collection after the very disruptive last few months. I am extremely excited about some of the new styles we have created.
The BETTY is a beautiful new ballerina flat with our signature square toe. It sits really sleek on the foot, and there is a version in snake print calf leather — all our snake materials are printed, by the way. Another style I like is the KATTI Croc. KATTI is one of our best-loved shapes and we are now introducing this style in croc print calf leather as well.
A third favourite is the CELIA sandal. It’s a beautiful, hand-knotted strappy heel that is perfect for the transitional period from summer to autumn. It’s a party sandal for everybody who is ready to go out and celebrate these new beginnings, and life in general.
