Step into summer

Step into summerWhat makes the perfect summer shoe?

Summer’s here, the heat is on, and your shoes better be ready. For this episode of THE PERFECT X, we link up with ABRA’s Abraham Ortuño Perez to talk hot soles, cool style, and finding the perfect pair to carry you through the sun.

By Hiwot Keleta

25 June 2025 · 4 min read

The sun’s high, the city’s humming, and everything suddenly feels a little more alive: summer is definitely back. It’s the season where your shoes work overtime, carrying you through crowded streets, rooftop nights, and spontaneous detours. The difference between gliding through the day and limping home? The perfect pair of summer shoes.

For this episode of THE PERFECT X, we linked up with Abraham Ortuño Perez, founder and designer behind the Paris-based label ABRA, to help us decode what makes the ultimate summer shoe. Raised in Spain’s shoemaking capital, it all started with something simple: he couldn’t find heels in his size. That personal gap sparked a bigger idea, one that eventually became ABRA, a label that’s not just about great design, but about reshaping who fashion actually includes.

We caught up with Abra in the heart of summer to talk about the shoes that carry us through it: What makes a great one? How does style shift when the temperature rises? And what materials should we look out for.

So first up, tell me: what got you into shoes? I grew up in an area in Spain where shoes are the main business, so I guess I had to!

Your brand makes some pretty crazy footwear. What’s the starting point when you’re designing a new shoe? From where do you draw inspiration? I love to create a balance between crazy ideas and commercial ideas, for example if I do an archetype of a classic shoe it needs to be a mega cute version of it, but if I’m free to do whatever, I look around me and I think what ordinary object could be used as a shoe.

The everyday flex

“ If you love fashion, you never really care what season it is. ”

- Abraham Ortuño Perez

Tell me about one of your designs which would work best as a ‘summer shoe’. ABRA XL flip flops are the perfect shoe, if you don’t like to get sand on your feet when you come out of the water at the beach!

Why is a good summer shoe so important, and what sets it apart from any old shoe? I think in summer you just want to be comfortable, especially if you are traveling, it needs to feel like you are barefoot without being barefoot.

Let’s say you’re shopping for a new pair of summer kicks. What’s the first thing you look for? Mules, no matter the type, loafer, sneakers, slippers as long as there is zero effort to get in them.

Are there any materials in particular we should be looking out for? My favourite is probably suede, actually also for winter, lol.

What are your thoughts on weather-inappropriate footwear? Would you wear chunky black boots in summer, for example? I feel like if you love fashion you never really care what season it is, although I will probably never wear chunky black boots, in any season!**

If you could only pack 3 pairs for a summer holiday, which would they be? Probably a few pairs of Havaianas, crocs, and very soft thin sole loafers from YSL.

What’s the most dependable pair of summer shoes you have in your own life? I think flip flops, but I always wear very soft elegant mules at night. I used to wear those Balenciaga embossed crocodile mules all the time!

Do you have any summer footwear icks? Chunky black boots!

Sole-searching saga

How do you balance creativity and wearability when designing (or wearing) a summer shoe? This is the perfect time to be a bit crazy with shoes, especially if you go on vacation.

Which colours are in for 2025? Peach, aqua, pink, pastel yellow

What’s one underrated styling tip to make your summer shoes pop with your outfit? Sea shells ankle bracelet, it’s probably my ultimate accessory for summer.

Finally, can you share a memory of a perfect summer day — and tell us the shoes you were wearing. Last summer in Tokyo, it was 40 degrees and we were walking all day long from shop to shop. I was wearing my fav suede loafers, the perfect shoe to be in the city with this weather.