The Brand
KINAMANIA makes iconic footwear inspired by cultural heritage and revisited with a fashion forward design edge. The brand also offers creative leather workshops where the founder shares her knowledge of leather with others. Kinamania supports cancer research through profit sharing.
"I find my inspiration in basic footwear styles that have stood the test of time to which I add fashion-forward details. This is my way of reinventing heritage." Kristina
Why Kinamania? It is through a failed romance with a Spaniard that Kristina discovered the abarca sandal style. This traditional Spanish sandal was the trigger to her shoe brand. KinaMania is a brand name with roots in menorquina, the alternative name for the abarca which was originally handmade on the island of Menorca in the Baleares. The mania for Kinas is born from menorquina mania!
The Shoes
The Kinamania shoe names and their subtitles refer to inspiring artists and songs. The Joplin, The Simone, The Bowie - are tributes to Janis Joplin, Nina Simone and David Bowie.
The Workshops
The creative leather workshops are craft experiences around a soulful wooden table, with beautiful human interaction.
Their are 2 types of workshops : sewing workshops, and construction workshops. With both, the participant leaves with a beautiful leather object - whether a bag, a belt, a wallet or a pair of slippers.
The founder
Former designer and production director to the Johnny Farah House of leather accessories - between Beirut & NY - Kristina Zouein spent countless hours in artisans’ workshops. As a self-taught designer, this was a very formative experience.
In 2015 and with more than 10 years experience, she decides to create Kinamania - a brand of story-telling shoes with a balanced mix of humility, sobriety and dare. The shoes are made in Europe.
Of Canadian-Lebanese origins, Kristina lived most of her life in Beirut, until she met her partner and moved to Brussels a few years ago.
Craft your day
Kristina has a deep appreciation of makers and cultural heritage combined with a passion for leather as a primary raw material. Driven by her curiosity and her hunger for discovery of creative works, she collaborates with artists, artisans and craft-based NGOs on her collections.
Her brand tag line says CRAFT YOUR DAY with two dashes. The two dashes symbolise the craftsmanship and hand-stitched design signature of the Kinamania fine footwear atelier.
The Cancer Cause
"In November 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer which pushed me to redefine the way I am leading my life and my business. Statistics show that 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and I was chocked when I learnt those numbers, especially to discover that so many women, like myself, below the age of 40 go through this for reasons that are still unclear. This is why I have decided to support the cause by donating 5 Euros of each order I receive for cancer research. This is my contribution for now, until I can do more!"