Being 21st Century royalty is a title that Gigi Hadid embraces with arms and eyes wide open. Following her most recent collaboration with the iconic shoe designer, Stuart Weitzman, the model has brought newfound magic to an everyday staple, the slide, which features three colorways and a shearling-lined toebox to keep your feet warm throughout the wintery months to ensue.
The Eyelove shoe references her father’s Palestinian heritage and culture as Gigi has incorporated the symbol of the “evil eye” into her designs as she understands the symbol to be protective against negative energies and influences. In an interview with Elle, Gigi notes that the symbol has “always been a part of [her] life” and it’s a part of her father’s culture, yes, but also part of a more global culture and narrative of empowerment.
Equally empowering is the partnership between Gigi and Pencils of Promise, an organization founded by Adam Braun. When Adam asked a child on the street in India what he wanted more than anything else in the world, he was perhaps surprised to say the least when the child replied with two words: a pencil. Rooted in the belief that education should be a right for all children no matter their zip code, Pencils of Promise has been able to affect real change for the world’s undereducated youths after partnering with Gigi. Past collaborations between the starlet, Stuart Weitzman and Pencils of Promise have led to schools being built in Ghana, Guatemala and Laos. There is no evil that Gigi’s eye does not see and we’re thrilled that modernity’s queen is casting her gaze and bringing light to those who too often go unnoticed. Gigi’s slides scream luxury sure, but they also say eyelove you and I see you, too.
