Many shoe brands, especially factory-owned brands, tend to offer two categories of production: Benchgrade and Handgrade. Carmina, for the longest time, just had one ‘grade of shoemaking’, which was a mix between the two. Their standard shoes offered details from the hand-grade ideology incorporated into their production, such as closed-channel soles, nails in the toe, beveled waist, and fudging on the welt. But that wasn’t enough. They wanted more detailing, and thus the Carmina Albaladejo Collection was born.
A Brief History
The Carmina brand was originally called ‘Albaladejo’ as the prominent name, and ‘Carmina’ as the less prominent second name. See the image. This was many years ago, when various parts of the family all worked under one roof. But then, certain members of the Albaladejo family had their own ideas and branched off to create other brands, such as Meermin and Yanko. As the company had essentially changed, they rebranded to Carmina (one of the Albaladejo family members), and dropped the last name from the original branding.
The New Albaladejo Collection
I see this new collection as a testament to the original ideals of Jose Albaladejo, the real creator of what the Carmina brand is today: A worldwide recognized leader in the Goodyear Welted shoe industry. The shoes now take up the finishing to the next level, offering details that are often reserved for handmade footwear, packed into a factory production shoe. And kept under $1000 for a European-made shoe.
Handgrade Features Offered
When it comes to separating bench-grade from hand-grade footwear, most of that can be seen in the sole work: detailing and finishing. So, here is what you can expect to find in the new Carmina Albaladejo Collection:
- Seamless heel counters – this is more prestigious than most people will comprehend.
- Pitched/contoured heel blocks
- Rounded Bevel Sole Waist – beautifully sculpted.
- Nailing decor on the sole
- Triumph Toe Taps
- New, refined ‘Palma’ last
- New, flexible JR Sole construction
- Further sculpting on the waist’s edge, thinner and sharper, accentuating the balance and look
These are all significant details, and one can see that the shape is far more elegant in the overall, balanced product. Not saying that the main collection isn’t, but these details are what separate good shoes from great shoes!
The Future of the Collection
Carmina is starting off with only five new models (6 skus total) for the Albaladejo Collection. The new Palma last is quite attractive and was a smart move. Admittedly, though, I would say that the tassel loafers are my favorite of the bunch. I love the clean look of them and the added hand-stitched heel counter. I would easily take both colors.
I can only imagine that this is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing Carmina create a new ’round’ last for this collection. Hopefully, that is in the works.
Stay tuned for an unboxing video, coming soon!
Learn more here: https://www.carminashoemaker.com/us/en/albaladejo-collection
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
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There’s something about a pitched heel that’s incredibly elegant!
Yes, there is 😉