The Story Of Kinamania.
“I design shoes for women-on-the-go who want to gift themselves style and comfort, so they can move through their days with elegance.” says Kristina Zouein. Kinamania Founder and Designer.
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Kinamania began with a simple need: finding shoes that felt as good as they looked. As a tall person, it was difficult to find minimal, stylish, and comfortable designs that could keep up with everyday life.
With a self-taught, spontaneous spirit and a love for leather, Kristina crafted her first pair of sandals in an artisan workshop in Beirut. Only later did she learn that her great-grandfather was a shoemaker, and she went on to complete a training in orthopedic shoemaking to have a full understanding of foot anatomy, comfort, and structure.
2006.
Unfulfilled by her marketing degree and various jobs, Kristina begins designing a line of belts, inspired by vintage belts her grandmother gives her. She names her brand Kinza Designs and works from the basement of her father’s office in Beirut.
2008.
She meets Johnny Farah and is appointed Production Director and Designer for his high-end leather label, working between Beirut, Paris, and New York.
2013.
Kristina discovers the abarca, traditional sandals from the Balearic Islands. She loves their easy slip-on spirit but feels they could use a coquette twist. She reimagines the style in ten variations — full leather, playful twists, and creative artisanal collaborations. That’s when her storytelling shoes were born — sharing the stories of craft and the people who make them.
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Cross-stitched ancestral motifs by Palestinian refugee women (w/ Inaash NGO), embroidered leather by a tailor of bullfighter suits (w/ Sastreria Roqueta), panels of metal mesh assembled by hand (w/ Laura Bortolami), refugee children embroidery stories (w/ Ana NGO) - all brought together in a soulful, family-run Spanish factory led by Caty.
2019.
"Cancer changes your perspective on what’s truly important in life."
Kristina faces a battle with breast cancer, which naturally slowed down the pace of Kinamania’s developments.
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Resilient, she keeps moving forward. A few months later, she launches a limited-edition and meaningful collaboration with her talented and long-time friend, Arabic type designer Lara Captan.
2021.
In 2021, she open her first solo pop-up boutique in Brussels’ EU neighborhood — a meaningful milestone.
This is where she introduces her first closed shoe line - featuring the iconic Joplin, Bowie, Simone and Rima styles - and tests her Kinamania retail vision: bringing together shoes and creative workshops in a warm, welcoming, and musical atmosphere.
2023.
Kinamania opens its third nomadic boutique in the prominent Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert.
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That same year, Kristina launches The Soft Line — a tribute to Lebanon’s rich craft heritage. “Since the August 4, 2020 explosion in the Beirut harbor, Lebanon has been in deep crisis. My aim is, in my own modest way, to provide financial stability to Lebanese artisans and their families.”
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Kristina is also recognized by Maison Veuve Clicquot as a soulful entrepreneur. video here
2024.
The KINAMANIA flagship boutique opens just steps from the vibrant Place Jourdan, in the heart of Brussels’ European Quarter!
📍 Gray Street 19, 1040 Brussels
