MANILA, Philippines - The clever little soles that have women around the world kicking off their heels in the name of fashionable comfort are finally in Manila.
From the United Kingdom is Butterfly Twists, a patented and stylish reinvention of the classic ballet flats, which fold away to fit into handbags and even the tiniest of evening purses.
Developed by a trio of friends from a London university — Philippe, Emmanuel and Mark — the inspiration of Butterfly Twists simply, and quite literally, walked into one of the group’s late night get-togethers.
While they were brainstorming on a possible business venture, Sophia — sister to one of the partners — came home complaining of sore feet. Apparently, she had spent the entire day in sky-high shoes as she went from office to night out, and was throbbing from heel to toe. Moaning, she told them that her on-the-go lifestyle would be perfect if she could only bring along her flats wherever she went.
Two rigorous years of research and product development followed that ordinary but fateful night in 2007 as Philippe, Emmanuel and Mark embarked on coming up with the perfect pair of shoes that would give women instant relief from the pain of stilettos, whenever and wherever they need it.
Moreover, if the flats looked good, women could whip them up in the middle of a shopping spree, in airports, or just about anywhere, without worrying how they looked.
Finally, after consulting with top designers in the UK, the group launched their product in 2009, in the form of satin ballerina flats with a unique and innovative folding mechanism that reduces them to a fraction of their original size. Calling it Butterfly Twists, they based the brand on an ethos of “practical fashion and beautiful simplicity.”
Aptly dubbed as “Clever Little Soles,” Butterfly Twists comes in six lush colors: Black, Gold, Red, Bright Pink, Deep Purple and Royal Blue. They are also packaged according to size in color-coded, triangular-shaped boxes: red for small (US Sizes 5-6), orange for medium (US Sizes 7-8), and green for large (US Sizes 9-10).
A trio of friends is also responsible for bringing the innovative product to the retail scene of Manila. They are Trina Molina-Franco, Dixie Lynn Chua-Tan, and Tessa Mauricio-Arriola. All young, working mothers with diverse backgrounds in fashion (Trina and Dixie currently run a manufacturing company for ladies and children’s garments, while Tessa is a lifestyle editor and fashion and beauty columnist for a major broadsheet), they instantly saw the potential of Butterfly Twists while visiting a trade show in Singapore.
Butterfly Twists is available at CMG boutiques (Glorietta 4, Rockwell, SM Mall of Asia, Shangri-La Mall, Mega Mall, TriNoma, SM The Block, and Robinsons Ermita), Chocolate Clothing Company (Robinsons Galleria), Aranaz (Greenbelt 5), and Atillo (178 Mabini St., San Juan City). The product is exclusively distributed by Butterfly Twists Philippines.