This Swedish shoe brand is in the closets of Kelly Rutherford, Jeanne Damas and HRH Crown Princess Victoria

“If you think about it, most designer shoe brands are founded or led by men. They’re not running errands in heels, so how are they supposed to know what is comfortable to walk in?” Sania Claus Demina has repeatedly asked herself this question since launching her eponymous brand Sania D'Mina in 2018, and she repeats it effusively now. While it may read like a designer’s platitude, quality and comfort are really key to Demina's designs. “My mum influenced my approach to fashion and accessories,” the shoe designer explains. She grew up in Belarus, and they had to import shoes and such from neighbouring countries like Poland. It was never about the brand, only about the quality. It is a mindset I’ve taken on myself.”

But what is the secret to a comfortable pair of heels? “The toe needs to be flat, parallel with the ground, and the heel centred,” says Demina. Fly-away toes and bevelled shapes are no-goes for both aesthetic and ergonomic reasons. “As if comfort wasn’t enough of a reason, your legs also look longer when the toe is flat with the ground,” adds Demina.

Having had an interest in shoes “for ever”, Demina were on a perilous search for the right balance between a flat toe and a centered heel long before started designing herself. But no matter how many shoes she looked at, Demina rarely found that gold-standard combination. “Price point didn’t matter. It just seemed impossible.” It was a realisation that led to the launch of her very own shoe brand.

That said, Demina had “no idea” where to start. “I assumed I needed to find a factory,” she says. Her mother’s cousin had contacts in Italy, and off on an aeroplane, the budding shoe designer went. “I always knew I wanted to produce in Italy to ensure the highest quality.” The first shoe on her agenda? The perfect slingback. Taking about a year and a half to develop, the Elena slingback – a staple in Sania D'Mina’s lineup to this day – saw Demina adopt a “hurry-slowly mindset.” She refused to compromise on either comfort or quality. “From sourcing the leather to convincing the factory to lower the toe, it took a lot of work,” she says.

Today, Demina likens her design process to that of a musician. “A musician enters the studio and doesn’t release a song until it is ready,” she says, pinpointing how her brand won’t ascribe to seasonal drops. Instead, a shoe is released when it is ready. Because of Demina's long incubation time, the shoes themselves become timeless – a carefully constructed wardrobe staple to wear for years to come. “My philosophy is easy, really,” adds Demina. “Just like how your comfortable jeans will always win against your uncomfortable ones no matter what they look like, a pair of comfortable heels will get more wear than the most beautiful uncomfortable ones.”

A testament to Demina's skill at crafting comfortable shoes is Kelly Rutherford. Best known as Lily van der Woodsen from the series Gossip Girl, the American actress has been a firm fan of the brand since it launched in 2018. “She first followed the brand on Instagram when we only had, like, 1,000 followers,” says Demina. Demina followed the celebrity back, and quickly, the correspondence turned to the availability of her slingbacks in white. “Remember, I had only ordered 40-something shoes, 15 of which were in white leather,” says Demina – the wrong white leather to boot. “I told her [Rutherford] I would send them to her as soon as I had the right pair on hand.”

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Since then, Rutherford has frequently been spotted sporting Sania D'Mina slingbacks in a vast variety of shades as well as the brand’s ‘Cher’ boots – a style which can count the future Queen of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria, among its fans. French fashion icon Jeanne Damas and Swedish Instagram sensation Matilda Djerf, however, prefer the brand’s slimmer ‘Avenue’ model.

Celebrity approval aside, Demina believes that the real magic lies in seeing women wear her shoes year after year. “I’ve received so much amazing feedback, but the best feedback is always seeing my shoes on the street being worn,” she says. Take Rutherford, for example, who still wears her black slingbacks from 2018 to this day – arguably the ultimate endorsement. “I just believe every woman deserves to wear comfortable shoes,” Demina concludes.