Unique summer sandals: 1 shoe, 5 looks from Chicago-based Mohop

July 15, 2011 (CHICAGO)

With just one pair of Mohop, mohop.com, sandals you can create an infinite amount of styles to go with every outfit, according to founder Annie Mohaupt.

    Five Looks:
  • Daytime (at Work, in the Office, for Travel)
    Detail: High Ebony,mohop.com/high_ebony_wedge.html
    Price: $188
    These high wedges are a classic shape that will always be in style, and the ebony finish always looks fabulous styled with a pop of color on the upper.
    Mohop's wedges feature a non-slip faux suede footbed, which make the shoes ideal to style with tights or socks as the weather cools off. The black wedges styled with bright saree ties and opaque tights take a gauzy dress from saccharine to boldly graphic.
  • Evening Out
    High Cherry Wedge www.mohop.com/high_cherry_wedge.html
    Price: $188
    The high wedge sandals are around 4" (10.2cm) tall, and with their 1.25" (3.2cm) platform, these sandals are incredibly comfortable for their height - great for a long night of dancing!
    Perfect for a hot summer night on the town, the glitz of rhinestones, beading and hand embroidery is perfectly tempered with the rich earthy look of high cherry wedge sandals. These shoes are styled with grosgrain ribbons and rhinestone buckles.
  • Off the Runway
    Detail: Handmade High Walnut Platform contact Annie at shoes@mohop.com for more info on our bespoke footwear
    Price: $462
    Other Background Material:
    These 4" demi-wedge platform sandals are handmade from American hardwoods in Mohop's Chicago studio and are styled with saree ties from Mohop's collaboration with Jhoole.
    Jumpsuits are a huge runway trend, as are wood-soled shoes. Mohop shoes were shown on the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks both in New York and Berlin for 2011.
  • Weekend Brunch
    Detail: Low Cherry Thong mohop.com/low_cherry_thong.html
    Price: $142
    The low thong sandals are 1.5" (3.8cm) tall. Designed for walking, these sandals make the perfect travel shoe.
    This look is all about this summer's "Sophisticated 70's" trend. Bright saree ties by Jhoole and natural wooden rings are laced into Mohop shoes, perfectly complementing this belted blouse dress.
  • Summer Bridal
    Detail: Mid Maple Slide with Custom Details contact Annie at shoes@mohop.com for more info on custom options for our uppers
    Price: $235
    Mohop's mid sandals are around 2.5" (6.3cm) tall. Featuring a charming kitten heel - a key silhouette this year - these sandals are great for dressing up for formal affairs and are a very comfortable height for long hours of standing and dancing.
    These shoes are styled with a custom upper designed and made in Mohop's studio. Worn with a gauzy gown by Jhoole, the wood soles bring an earthy charm to this romantic and slightly bohemian bridal look.
    Bridal parties can coordinate their footwear with the wedding colors - and the shoes are wearable long after the big event.

(Information below from Annie Mohaup)

    MOHOP MAKES INFINITE POSSIBILITIES A REALITY THIS SEASON WITH JUST ONE PAIR OF SHOES.
  • Mohop is an eco-friendly, local footwear company specializing in wood-soled shoes that allow nearly infinite design options with just one pair of soles
  • Mohop's new Ready-to-Wear Collection for summer offers 14 new styles in varying heel heights (low, mid and high) and your choice of finishes (in Cherry, Maple, Ebony and Walnut)
  • Footwear in the RTW collection is composed of eco-friendly Pará wood harvested from sustainably managed plantations and stained with water-based dyes. The sandals feature durable rubber soling with recycled content.
  • These interchangeable, custom-fit sandals can easily be created by simply lacing any ribbon or fabric tie in Mohop's wood sole - Mohop shoes comfortably fit a wide variety of foot shapes.
  • A set of 7 grosgrain ribbons are provided with each pair in a variety colors and widths

    FASHIONABLE SUMMER SANDALS FROM LOCAL DESIGNER ANNIE MOHAUPT ARE HELPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN CREATING FAIR-TRADE WAGES FOR WOMEN IN INDIA.
  • Chicago-based Mohop shoes http://www.mohop.com/ has recently collaborated with the non-profit social enterprise Jhoole (JOOL-LAY), founded by Rockford native Hannah Warren, www.jhoole.org to produce bright tropical colored saree ties for Mohop shoes
  • Each pair of ties is one-of-a-kind, handmade by women who earn fair-trade wages so their children can attend school, with the goal of ending the cycle of poverty in their family and community
  • The saree ties also look great as hair ties, belts, or scarves
  • These saree ties are vegan, typically polyester crêpe, taffeta, organdy or chiffon. The ties are made from sarees that have been previously worn and are now repurposed into ties for Mohop shoes
  • Priced at $25 each, one hundred percent of the price of the ties purchased on Mohop.com is returned to Jhoole for the construction of a computer lab for girls and women in India

    ABOUT ANNIE MOHAUPT AND MOHOP SHOES
  • Chicago designer Annie Mohaupt is an architect-turned-artisan shoemaker who founded her company Mohop in 2005. (Mohop is the phonetic pronunciation of her last name.)
  • Mohop eco-friendly shoes are designed, engineered and prototyped by Annie Mohaupt in her Chicago studio, The idea to make wood-soled sandals came to Annie Mohaupt in 2005 during a "light-bulb" moment, when she envisioned a skateboard-inspired sandal created with screen printed bent plywood
  • The story of Mohop embodies the "American Dream". Starting with a simple idea, Annie Mohaupt spent long hours in her basement, experimenting and creating prototypes for her footwear idea.
  • Faced with overwhelming demand for her new shoe concept, Mohaupt is determined to pioneer a whole new class of footwear.

Annie was raised on a small sheep farm in northern Illinois, where she learned an appreciation for animals and the earth. As a child, Annie's favorite activities included a wide variety of crafts taught to her by her mother and grandmother.

After graduating from high school, Annie studied in Denmark for a year, further cementing her love of both wood-soled shoes and modern Scandinavian design.

Following graduation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in Architectural Studies, Annie moved to San Francisco and married her college sweetheart, Siamak Mostoufi. She worked in architecture and dabbled in computer modeling and animation.

Returning to Illinois in 2001, Annie continued to work in architecture while half-starting a variety of crafty, DIY businesses. After starting her sandal prototypes, Annie realized that footwear design and production was her true love.

LOOKS, PRICES AND WHERE TO BUY

Each pair of sandals comes with a variety of 7 ribbons. That's 7 pairs in one! All sorts of accessories can be tied into the shoes such as rings, buckles, fabric flowers, and shoe clips. For additional styling options, recycled saree ties are now available for purchase separately and the price is $25 each. There are more than 2 dozen fabrics available in the saree ties to choose from online http://www.mohop.com/sarees/. Just find the fabric you like and add to order. The cost is $25 each. One hundred percent of your purchase price for these saree ties benefits the women of Jhoole.

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