Miss L Fire Spring / Summer 2020 - Color joy, quality and vintage inspiration 🌸

Mondo Kaos always consider carefully when taking home new brands. There is of course the style and quality to take into account, and the question of whether the brand fits in Mondo Kaos' universe? And of course we have fewer shoe brands than clothing brands.

At Miss L Fire slipped through the eye of the needle at Mondo Kaos according to owner Ditte, is due to, among other things the amazing quality that Mondo Kaos can always vouch for, and the shoes from Miss L Fire are the perfect match for our retro range.

Mondo Kaos has been selling Miss L Fire shoes since 2013. Since day 1, they have been a sure winner with customers, who have embraced the shoes in the beautiful colors and wonderful combinations, and eagerly await the new models that arrive each season.

All employees have at least one favorite model, and they like to stand up in it for 8 hours in a row, also in shoes or sandals with high heels as the comfort is just really good.

Some of the other models from our Spring / Summer 2020 collection are seen below:

Founder of Miss L Fire, Lynsey Hand

The founder is Lynsey Hand worked in the shoe industry for such well-known brands as both Clarks and Office, before in 2005 she decided to start Miss L Fire.

Lynsey had always had a great love for retro and vintage, and had noticed that it was impossible to find vintage shoes in larger sizes. At least she had not been able to find some for herself in size 41 (uk7), and with a dream of making shoes in all sizes for vintage-loving ladies, Miss L Fire came into being.

Although it was always intended that Miss L Fire should be a modern twist on a vintage shoe, there may have been less focus on the traditional retro expression, and more on Lynsey's own playful, colorful style based on past different styles of times.

Where are the shoes produced?

Consumers today have a much greater awareness than before of awareness of sustainability and ethics, and therefore want knowledge of where and how the products they buy are manufactured.

Miss L Fire works with two family-run factories in Portugal, and a single company in China, with a premise that shoes are only as good as the people who make them. Therefore, it is quite obvious to Lynsey Hand and her team that the manufacturers she uses must live up to a high standard when it comes to working conditions, and with the mantra of quality over quantity. She works closely with the factories and, among other things, takes down and checks herself before the upcoming collection is put into production.

Both Portuguese factories have a small, dedicated team of shoemakers and everything is handmade. Where they combine both old and new technologies to create the perfect comfortable, 'Made In Portugal' collections.

The company in China started making Miss L Fire shoes 5 years ago, and they are working with a small, female team to create beautifully made shoes where attention is paid to detail.

Sustainable production

The climate crisis is on everyone's lips. And unfortunately, the clothing and shoe industry is one of the biggest culprits, second only to the oil industry. That is why we are in Mondo Kaos paying particular attention to having brands that meet certain requirements, in most cases this means at least small productions with minimum wasted product. Miss L Fire is a brand that from the start has had in mind an environmentally and socially responsible production.

This means i.a. a small production of small batches, for minor overproduction, manufacturing to order, no cheap labor and that no shoes are thrown out.

However, the actual making of leather shoes is not hassle-free, what does Miss L Fire do about it, and is vegan shoes the solution?

Vegan shoes

Miss L Fire receives many inquiries regarding vegan shoes. But what and how do vegan shoes differ environmentally from leather shoes and are they sustainable at all? These are some of the issues that Lynsey Hand has addressed. Leather has been used for centuries as the preferred material as it is durable, breathable and comfortable. Miss L Fire also makes shoes exclusively in sustainable leather, ie the leather comes from animals that have been used in the food industry, rather than being bred for the sake of the leather.

It is leather tanning is the problem in leather manufacturing. A lot of water and harmful chemicals are used, so Miss L Fire makes sure that the tanneries live up to the international eco-market, and as often as possible they use vegetable tanned leather, which is clearly the best for the environment. Yet, this can only be done with the more natural colors.

When it comes to vegan shoes, the problem is the material. In the best cases, it is polyurethane (PU), and even the best variant has only half the durability of leather, while it will be 1000 years of being degraded in nature. Yes, 1000! it's not good enough yet.

Alternatives to plastic are, of course, an area in rapid development, and the Lynsey and Miss L Fire theme is keeping a close eye on new opportunities to be able to produce vegan and eco-friendly shoes in the future.

We can vouch for that

Lynsey produces small, never having to throw shoes out.

The shoes must be of such high quality that they can be reused season after season, and should make their owner so happy that they feel like taking care of them. They are vintage-inspired, and perfect for vintage and retro outfits, but can, thanks to their modern twist and colors, also be used in the modern wardrobe.

Here Mondo Kaos, that's exactly what we do. We love our Miss L Fire shoes, and have discontinued models we talk about with longing in our voices, and hope to return to the range one day. Until then, we all enjoy the beautiful new shoes.

Warm greetings from the Team Mondo Kaos ❤️