DESIGNER ON THE RISE
Abel Muñoz Spring 2011
Having held positions as a graphic designer and stylist, multi-talented Costa Rican-born, Toronto-
based designer Abel Muñoz has taken his design aesthetic to accessories, creating sumptuous Italian leather shoes and handbags and is now garnering major attention here in Canada, as well as south
of the border.
For Spring 2011 Muñoz, who studied accessories design in Milan, presented a limited edition collection of six heels, including the hot pink Eumachia booties, the dove grey strappy Sabina (easily our favourite!) and the little black Specula heel. “I wanted to remain true to Italy,” he says of his inspiration for this season. “I am always interested in fashion and fashion history. I looked into the island of Pompeii during the Roman Imperial Period, which was a resort island, where all the wealthy people would go and hang out. It was very extravagant and they were into fashion.”
So what type of woman would fall for Muñoz’s vintage-inspired haute heels? Pastel Supernova, formerly of Fritz Helder & the Phantoms, and Coco Rocha, are two examples. Naturally, these women blend seamlessly with who Muñoz sees as his customer. “I always try to think about the history of women and what they have gone through…all these different eras,” he points out. “The contradiction is that, at that time [in Pompeii], the women were free—the women were not treated as slaves. They were professional, ran their own businesses; therefore, they had access to luxury.”
Now three years into his eponymous label, Abel Muñoz accessories are carried in a handful of boutiques in the United States, as well as Winnipeg (Lot P2), Montreal (Ogilvy) and the Pink Tartan flagship store Seventy Seven and George C, both in the tony Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto, with more stores to be announced later this year.
