Zyla

These platform ‘ZYLA’ evening shoes were made by the London-based luxury shoe brand GINA, and came from their Spring/Summer 2019 collection. They have 100mm block heels, leather soles and uppers of burgundy coloured velvet and satin, fastening with a buckle strap at the ankle. The heels and platforms are covered in burgundy Swarovski crystals - a staple of the GINA look. GINA described this style as “exuding decadent glamour and nostalgically retro sophistication […] the perfect party sandal to dance the night away in unmistakably GINA style.”

GINA was founded by master shoemaker Mehmet Kurdash in 1954. Kurdash, a Turkish Cypriot, had started his career working at his uncle’s shoe factory in Cyprus as a teenager. After settling in London he started his own handmade shoe business, eventually building up enough capital to establish a factory in Dalston, where the company was based for the next forty years. Kurdash took as his muse the Italian film star Gina Lollobrigida, who had achieved international fame in the 1952 French film Fanfan la Tulipe, and made her English-language debut in 1953’s Beat the Devil, in which she starred alongside Humphrey Bogart.

GINA was and still is known for creating luxurious and glamorous accessories, using high quality materials including Swarovski crystals. The company is now run by Mehmet's three sons and remains very much a family business. In 2011, the company relocated to a 40,000 sq. feet factory in Tottenham, showing their long-term commitment to keep production in London. They describe themselves as “the last and only British designer label creating luxury footwear in London today.”

These shoes are typical of the GINA look, which is notably feminine, luxurious and glamorous – often utilising expensive materials. GINA were entered into the Guinness Book of Records in 1999 for creating the most expensive pair of shoes in the world at that time - alligator mules with white gold buckles inlaid with diamonds. Their shoes have also been worn by many famous names, including Princess Diana, Helena Bonham-Carter, Sandra Oh and Madonna – and in 2021 were worn by the musician Billie Eilish for a high-profile photoshoot in Vogue UK.

These shoes were donated to the Museum of London by the GINA company in 2021.