When it comes to footwear, the Duchess of Sussex, tends to be a fan of a vertiginous Aquazurra stiletto, but on her recent trip to Morocco with Prince Harry, she discovered a love for an altogether more casual shoe brand.
Meeting with young Moroccan entrepreneurs in the Andalusian public gardens in Rabat, Harry and Meghan were introduced the co-founders of handmade Moroccan shoe label Zyne.
Best friends and business partners Zineb Britel and Laura Pujol launched Zyne in 2016 with a mission to bring the traditional Moroccan craft of ‘babouche’ slippers into the 21st century. The babouche is the national shoe of Morocco, worn for everything from everyday to formal events, with styles for every occasion. Zyne makes both the classic flat babouches and recently they launched heeled mule versions.
When Meghan clapped eyes on Zyne's modern, heeled iterations of the shoes, she exclaimed "wow, those are kickass heels!"
Moroccan-born Britel, who studied show design in London following stints as a designer for Christian Dior and Sonia Reikel in Paris, partnered with her best friend Pujol (also Moroccan), who left a job in marketing at Christian Louboutin to join the company, to launch a brand with a mission to combine the craftsmanship of Morocco with the fashion-forwardness of Paris and London.
Zyne works with local female artisans to make its shoes. As part of the Zyne family, these women earn money for themselves and their families, as well as gain a sense independence and confidence.
"Continue the hard work that you do with the women," said Meghan upon hearing about the brand’s integral philanthropy. The first thing Meghan and Harry noticed as they admired the shoes was the phrase printed on the sole of each pair of shoes – “fly me to the moon.”
Meghan admired all the different designs, and chose the two styles below to bring home.
For UK shoppers, the brand is currently only available on Zyne’s website and in Marylebone store Koibird, but come autumn, they will be stocked globally on Net-a-Porter. We predict a sell-out.
Prices from £200, available at Zyne
