Julien Martinez, founder of the high-end ‘souliers’ brand Souliers Martinez, embodies the perfect fusion of traditional artisanal craftsmanship and contemporary innovation. Combining his deep Spanish roots with his Parisian cultural influences, his company stands out with a unique approach to leather weaving, supported by committed sustainable values and strong ethics.
In an exclusive interview with WSN, Julien shares the dynamics that drive his creative vision and retraces the history and evolution of his maison. The designer delves deeply into the challenges and opportunities of the creative industries while discussing the prospects of our upcoming partnership at the next Premiere Classe trade fair, to be held at Carrousel du Louvre from the 28th to the 30th of September.
Julien Martinez founded his shoe brand inspired by a weaving technique discovered during a visit to workshops in the Alicante region (Spain). For ten years, the creator worked as an independent designer for major names of the Parisian shoe industry such as Carel. "While struggling to integrate this craftsmanship into my clients' collections, particularly due to its cost, I decided to make it the strength of my project, the identity of my brand. A unique aesthetic signature for my creations," he explains.
By accessing the archives of the weaving workshops of the region, he discovered in detail a unique skill held by a handful of locals, especially women who have dedicated their lives to developing this technique, working leather in their own homes: "Bringing this craftsmanship up to date with contemporary designs was the goal. Combining the craftsmanship of our ancestors and the sunny aura of Spain with a spirit of French elegance," he maintains.
This quickly caught the attention of Net-A-Porter, which selected Julien Martinez for their mentoring program, The Vanguard, in 2017, exposing them internationally through their e-commerce platform, a crucial first step in the rise of Souliers Martinez.
Julien Martinez's creative vision focuses on highlighting the artisanal craftsmanship behind each piece. He develops unique heel shapes and singular shoe structures, notably through a line of woven leather that has become the brand's iconic signature. Julien elaborates: "We seek to create timeless and durable products, merging my cultural influences, the enchanting light of a summer in Spain, with a more formal Parisian sophistication."
Their shoes are designed to transcend fleeting trends and bring a Mediterranean touch to the frenetic pace of urban daily life. Julien Martinez empowers women with strength and confidence through the subtle balance of a perfectly proportioned heel, the charisma of an elegant and contemporary aesthetic.
The ADC (Au-delà du Cuir) incubator played a pivotal role in restructuring Souliers Martinez after the Coronavirus crisis. Julien recounts: "ADC supported us by providing very specialized experts in finance, HR, and legal operations to accelerate our digitization and find short-term financing solutions to ensure our productions and future development."
The incubator also fostered mutual support among entrepreneurs through direct discussion groups, allowing Julien to share some of the best practices for navigating the challenges of the fashion industry with a solid and collaborative support network among laureate creators such as Philippe Zorzetto.
Initially exhibiting in multi-brand showrooms, it was in accordance with ADC's advice that Julien recently decided to participate in the Premiere Classe fair to expand Souliers Martinez's international reach and distribution by approaching new buyers. "It's an opportunity for visibility and development, particularly towards countries and markets where we are not yet present," precises the designer with enthusiasm. Participating in this trade show will allow the ‘souliers’ brand to benefit from the traffic generated by our events and showcase its project to a broader audience.
At the prospect of this first fair for Souliers Martinez, Julien hopes it will primarily bring global visibility, an opportunity to expand their international distribution, and reach new buyers, a new audience. "We hope this fair will help us establish a broader and longer-term presence," he adds, even considering the possibility of having his own stand in the future to showcase bigger selections.
Our fairs are also vectors of unique interactions between creative minds and industry players, providing a multitude of possibilities for exchange and collaboration.
Julien's Spanish legacy, particularly reflected in the designer's childhood memories during his holidays, has strongly influenced his work. Merging the timeless spirit of traditional craftsmanship with the modernity of urban forms and aesthetics is at the heart of his creative dynamics. Julien specifies: "Every shoe I create must reflect this balance between Spain and France, craftsmanship and the contemporary."
This cultural duality is expressed through sophisticated ‘souliers’, where every detail tells the story of those who created them, promising exceptional quality.
The main challenges faced by Souliers Martinez revolve around the need to diversify its clientele and wholesale partners. The brand relies on long-term solid partnerships with its retailers, but Julien warns: "The challenge is to face the disappearance of some of our most important wholesale clients. Expanding our horizons by establishing sustainable and plural collaborations allows us to address these issues and ensure our independence, another major challenge for our first fair!" This also reflects a diversification challenge in the brand's distribution strategy.
Julien emphasizes the importance of a strong wholesale presence that must be combined with 'direct-to-consumer' via the e-shop and, by extension, in retail with physical stores. "Another major challenge is sourcing, our local supply chains, and consequently preserving European craftsmanship," he affirms, highlighting the difficulty of finding long-term partnerships with factories in Spain, Italy, and Portugal while maintaining a heritage that is losing out to industrialized production beyond the confines of the old continent.
For Julien Martinez, considering and acting in regard to sustainability regulations and ethical labor standards is a complex but crucial challenge for our creative industries: "We work with certified European leathers, while producing our products in Spain, Italy, and Portugal," he details. Souliers Martinez collaborates with certified 'LWG' tanneries and strives to minimize its ecological footprint while pushing back against greenwashing practices to maintain complete transparency with its customers.
"Our actions are simple and concrete. We strive to maintain strong professional ethics in all our operations and ensure good conditions of production ourselves, through visits to our collaborators and fair remuneration for everyone. Using dormant stocks, eliminating plastic packaging, and sourcing locally are also part of this approach."
The singularity of Souliers Martinez lies in their weaving craftsmanship, a signature that is the strength of their most iconic creations. Julien and his team develop unique concepts and differentiate themselves in the market by offering a versatile product whose summer accents accompany you from the Balearic Islands to the cold winter seasons of Paris. "
We continuously innovate to maintain our coherence without blindly following market trends," he asserts.
Their approach tends to exclude competitive influences by focusing on their own creative vision while excellently achieving pieces that are both timeless and contemporary.
The collection to be presented to our buyers in September is a true return to basics for Souliers Martinez, their iconic woven leather shoes taking the lead. Julien announces: "We will showcase iconic models such as the ROBERTA (a high woven leather boot), reworked with new heels and shapes." This selection for their Summer 2025 collection shall stand as a celebration of their origins, highlighting the brand's most significant ‘souliers’.
A priority for Souliers Martinez is to refocus on its development in the United States, currently their first market for e-commerce sales: "We want to reconnect with growth in the American wholesale market," insists Julien. In the medium term, the house also plans to develop a line of leather goods, although the brand's primary focus remains on increasing their international reach. "Premiere Classe is also an opportunity to explore new international markets and defend our vision on other continents," Julien elaborates passionately.
Julien Martinez also wishes to convey a strong message to young creators in the fashion industry: "First, it's going to be very hard, hang in there! Second, creation represents perhaps 10% of the work, the rest is mainly related to business management, accounting, finance, sales, logistics… You have to be very versatile and adapt to this reality. Third, find the right industrial partner in your early years and be convinced and confident in the message you want to convey through your creations." A unique perspective from which he hopes to motivate these emerging designers to sustain creativity in a transformative and positive dynamic for our industries.
Julien Martinez's experience and vision fosters valuable insights into the journey of a creator in the premium shoe industry. By combining cultural heritage and innovation, Souliers Martinez continues to stand out in the international market while preserving the traditional craftsmanship that keeps the heart of European creativity beating. The advice and perspectives shared by Julien are a source of inspiration for young creators and a testament to the resilience and passion required to succeed in the fashion world. This exchange also carries a committed message: establishing strong and sustainable partnerships in the industry is crucial to sustain everyone's development and address each one's challenges. A shared perspective that WSN brings and defends through our trade shows and continuous support.
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