These shoes are made for walking (and to love): interview with Alura designer 

“I never was a fashion enthusiast, but rather a problem solver”, says Raluca Hăulică, the designer and owner of Alura shoes brand. Well, we all (kind of) needed somebody to imagine for us some cool shoes, yet comfortable 🙂 And, more than that, somebody that puts client happiness on  “first, second and third place”, as she said. Therefore, I talked with Raluca Hăulică from Alura about difficult moments that a Romanian brand has to overcome, about fashion industry and her favorite shoes movie.

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Alura shoes could be found on https://www.alura.ro/ , in the showroom str. Constantin Mille 18, @alura.thebrand.

Raluca, why shoes? When did you think (seriously) about starting a Romanian Brand with shoes? And why Alura?

I never was a fashion enthusiast, but rather a problem solver. During my corporate days, I had this problem of uncomfortable shoes, so I simply thought that if I had this issue, possibly other women have it too. I think that shoes are the functional part of the fashion industry. Alura means “way of moving and walking” in Romanian, so it fits perfectly. (Read here about a famous shoe exhibition)

Name 3 most difficult moments since you started the brand, 3 happiest moments in Alura history?

It’s hard to say because what once seemed to be too hard to overcome, as time passes by and as your business grows, you figure that those were just some common stages in every business, and you become stronger and stronger. 

I can say that, in general, the most difficult parts for us are handling and sourcing factories (and production in general), maintaining and rapidly growing in the bootstrap model (with no outside investments), and reaching new clients, ’cause nowadays is very expensive doing that, if we are talking about digital marketing. 

On the happier side, in the first, second, and third places are our interactions with the end clients. Their happiness, satisfaction, and sometimes very long e-mails, which almost sound like love letters, are the happiest moments for Alura. Gathering this community and meeting clients in real person during our special events in house and finding out about their passion for Alura, and how they compare us already with famous well-established brands is our reason to be. 

Where do you manufacture the shoes, from where the fabrics (leather & others stuff) came? 

We manufacture our products in partner factories, mostly in Spain, in the famous region of Alicante, but also in other EU factories, depending on the product. We are now looking for new partners in Romania, which we tried several times now, but we hope this dream will come true. The leather and accessories come mostly from Italy or Spain. (Read here about Spanish traditional shoes brand)

What is that unique feature that characterizes Alura pieces? 

Comfort is the unique feature of our shoes. Alura is a brand born in the confluence of comfort and minimalist design, with a feminine twist. We care about how our shoes look, but moreover, we care about how our shoes feel. 

The plans for 2025 are…

We plan to double our operations in 2025 and expand abroad by listing on various marketplaces dedicated to fashion and also add more categories to our portfolio, including bags and more elegant pieces.

Your favourite story / movie with or about shoes is… “Sex and the City” – which brought back Manolo Blahnik (read here about a Manolo exhibition in Madrid), and the story of all stories, Cinderella – shoes can literally change your life. 

Your favourite model from actual collection Alura is… My favorite style this season is Valeria, a combination of a slipper and a sandal with a tiny heel and fine straps, which make them sexy, feminine, and subtle. 

You wish to design a pair of shoes that… you don’t want to take off even when you arrive home. 

Photography: @sorina.rimbu.photography /  https://sorinarimbu.ro/