In Her Shoes

As a child, Theresa Ebagua played dress-up, teetering around in her mother’s high heels. As a teen, she bought shoes from vintage shops and took them to a cobbler to customize. Studies at the Ars Sutoria in Milan and internships with shoe factories in the Tuscany region solidified the Nigerian-born, London-based designer’s enthusiasm for meticulous craftsmanship and luxury materials, leading to the 2011 launch of her own shoe label, Chelsea Paris (named after her two daughters). Now the collection has arrived at Stanley Korshak, where inspiration blends Ebagua’s signature Art Deco touches with ancient African cornrows and traditional ritual garments.