Çaplait, Felipe Fiallo, Daniela Uribe + More Emerging Brands to Watch from Micam

Several years ago, a number of footwear and fashion brands started making versions of a traditional Pakistani sandal — but not giving credit to its origins. Usman Manzoor took notice.

The founder of Çaplait, a full-time educator in the U.K. whose parents hail from Pakistan, launched his brand in 2018 as a way to celebrate and honor his heritage. Showing at Micam this week, Manzoor also wanted to spotlight the country’s local artisans, who now create each pair of the brand’s sandals. (The entire process takes about three days.)

The Peshawari chappal, a shoe from the Peshawar region, has historically been worn by men as part of traditional attire. The look is identified by a signature tongue, square toes, flat soles, crossover straps and buckle fastening. Manzoor and his team, who design the shoes in the U.K., have worked to translate the design into a womenswear-focused silhouette that plays up embroidery, texture and color.

The brand, targeted to a global consumer, is stocked in multi-branded boutiques and independents in the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, France and the Middle East, among other places.

“I’m trying my best to get to a level now where I can fully focus on this,” the designer said at Micam. The collection is priced from about 150 to 175 pounds (about $185 to $215 at current exchange).

Manzoor was one of 12 emerging designers showing in a special section in hall 1. Other names at the show included Daniela Uribe, a Miami-based Colombian designer who is expanding her signature logo heel into new sizes. “Now we have a high heel and mid heel,” she said.

Several of the other designers in the emerging area were focused on sustainable product, including Ubac, the French sneaker brand that focuses on materials such as recycled wool, rubber, hemp, linen and cotton.

Simon Nicolas, co-founder of Ubac, said the brand is mostly direct-to-consumer for now, but is looking to slowly expand into wholesale.

Meanwhile, some of Micam’s emerging designers from past seasons are back this time around. Felipe Fiallo, who launched as part of The SYKY Collective, a luxury digital fashion platform, was at the event to show off his oversized sustainable 3D-printed rainboot ahead of his eco-centric sneaker debut for spring ’24.

“In this time where we’re looking for new technologies, I’m trying to combine comfort with great aesthetics and sustainability,” Fiallo said.

The designer, who previously worked for Ferragamo and has also partnered with Adidas and other brands for projects, also made an appearance at London Fashion Week and will have presence at Milan Fashion Week as well.