MANILA, Philippines ? Thirty-six years in the business, Via Venetto kick-starts its new cycle with a younger, sexier line. Tsarina Pajaro-Inocian, daughter of the founder and president Yolanda Pajaro, reinvigorates the brand with baring styles. The launch of Tsarina?s new line coincides with the opening of the Glorietta 5 store.

A graduate of Fine Arts, major in Industrial Design from the University of the Philippines, Tsarina did an undergraduate thesis on retractable, corrective shoes for children with club feet. She was a finalist in several national shoe design contests. One of her winning entries was a strappy stiletto shoe, studded with complicated beadwork in complementary colors, infused with rhinestones.

As Via Venetto?s creative director, Tsarina produces styles that echo the sensibilities of her generation. ?The shoes are sexy, very tall (as in four- to five-inch heels) yet very comfortable. That?s what makes our brand different,? she says.

When Tsarina, a mother of three, used to work in sales outside of the family business, she was on her feet from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. While her colleagues brought flats to work, Tsarina teetered in four-inch heeled shoes the whole day and loved every minute of it.

The 31-year-old designer favors strappy slingbacks, low vamps, peep-toes and towering stilettos and eschews boxy or angular lines. ?I think of the woman?s anatomy which is curvy. There?s a certain frailty about her so I design biomorphic shapes that accentuate a woman?s curves.?

Punctuating the towering statement is the choice of materials: snakeskin, python, buhol and boa, the classic patent for shine, and soft kid leather for luxury. As shoes are this season?s focal point, the colors are vibrant?red-violent, fuchsia, electric blue, greens, metallic sheen such as gold dust, and muted colors such as salmon rose, slate and grey.

European components

Beneath the new designs is the brand?s history of commitment to quality.

Yolanda ?Ging? Pajaro started the business to augment her salary as a teacher at the University of the Philippines. Her mother-in-law, Joaquina Pajaro, who was in the shoe business, suggested she try her luck.

?I envisioned shoes that were of better quality. I began producing classics, pumps, court shoes and sandals. I discovered we were not doing very well. We were competing against 3,000 registered shoemakers in Marikina,? says Ging.

In 1973, platform shoes were the vogue in Europe. Ging adapted the designs from the West which became a hit. She changed the name of the brand from Firenze to Via Venetto. ?If the shoes were named ?Mutya ng Pasig,? nobody would have walked in the store back then,? she says.

As the business prospered, Ging would attend shoe fairs abroad to get forecasts. To distinguish her brand from the rest, she began importing leather shoe lasts from Italy. The shoe last outlines the anatomical details of the foot while making the shoe look fashionable.

?With the local market, as long as the shoe is colorful, it doesn?t matter if your head aches when you?re wearing the shoes. I don?t believe in this. I attempted to make my own shoe last, but we don?t have the technology. It took as long as eight months to develop the proper last to support the feet, legs and person. I decided to buy my lasts from Italy and Germany in 1982. Structurally, it?s cheaper to make the shoe sturdier,? says Ging.

Via Venetto?s shoe lasts come from the best last factory in Italy, which also supplies the top designer brands. ?Since I come from a Third World country, I was not considered a threat,? says Ging. She also gets lasts from the German supplier Brüder Winkle, touted as the best last-maker for precise measurements of the foot anatomy.

?Via Venetto stands for quality. It begins with the leather, then the components and craftsmanship,? says Ging.

Every week, she would motivate the shoemakers to strive for excellence and not be lazy or careless. She is also proud of the fact that the production of the shoe is largely handcrafted. Fastidious, she even had the evening shoe line encrusted with Swarovski crystals by jewelers from Bulacan.

Pinay feet

Today, her children share the business responsibilities. The eldest, Yolanda Cecilia, is vice president in charge of production and finance; Jennifer handles Francesco, the younger line which sources its materials from Asia; Joao supervises Sundance, the mass market brand.

Although Tsarina?s designs cater to the fashionista, Via Venetto maintains the classic line.

Ging advised Tsarina to adapt the styles to the Pinay?s physique.

?Compared to the Germans, our ankles are smaller. Our feet are narrower, our legs shapelier. Asians are refined. Even the heftiest Filipino woman walks with a nice gait. The styles that suit us should accentuate our graceful walk. We can get away with stringy sandals, platforms, frills and flowers. Stack heels don?t suit us,? says Ging.

One customer, a wealthy businesswoman, has worn her favorite pair for over 15 years and keeps having it resoled. To her, the Via Venetto shoes aren?t about style, but the luck factor.