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In just five years the Spanish shoe brand El Naturalista has established itself in 45 markets with its non-conformist designs that put the environment first. Fashionfromspain speaks with its general manager Pablo Peña about international commerce and the brand’s commitment to nature and conservation.

How did El Naturalista come about?
It was created in 2002 by two families with years of experience in footwear production and sales. The 35-strong team – not counting factory staff – is spread over two main offices. One manages sales, distribution, marketing and communications here in Pamplona, in northern Spain. The other, in Quel in La Rioja, nearby, is in charge of product design and development.

The name and brand image are simple and powerful. How did you choose them?
We got together to design a new footwear concept and decided there was a market niche for a green product. Right from the start, our aim has been to make footwear that was comfortable without being boring and stick to our philosophy of nature conservation. The result was shoes that are not only comfy, fun and colourful, but are made using methods that won’t harm the environment.

And that love of nature was behind the choice of name
It’s a name that works in Spanish and English, even though it doesn’t mean the same in both languages. We wanted a memorable logo, so we went for a frog. It’s a creature people like. It lives in total freedom and has interesting connotations, lucky in some cultures and a sign of fertility in others. We liked the idea that people could talk about 'frog shoes' and connect us with this amphibian, representing an ongoing struggle against stagnation and reflecting our non-conformist spirit.

“Each collection is inspired by a culture, tribe, organic material or element from nature”

How has your style evolved?
We started out with casual comfort and really ergonomic shoe shapes. Then in 2004, we realised we could develop more feminine models with a heel without comfort suffering. Today we have two ranges: comfortable flats and a trendier, more feminine option. That has opened up new markets to us and attracted new customers. But trends are not a priority. Our design team, headed up by Francisco Sota, travels all over the world, and each collection is inspired by a different culture, tribe, organic material or element from nature. Take the soles, which are designed to look like leaves or rocks…

Have you always made shoes for both men and women?
Yes. The women’s designs work best, but we still think it crucial to stick with the men’s collection. One of our aims is to increase our sales of men’s shoes.