Sara Sampaio, Chiara Ferragni, Leandra Medine, Meghan Markle and thousands of other girls have surrendered to the power brand Josefinas.

Founded in 2013 by three Portuguese women (Filipa Júlio, Maria Cunha and Sofia Oliveira), the luxury shoe brand was born to inspire and empower other women. Since then, Josefinas have been used by fashion celebrities, has won Best E-commerce Brand 2014, and is now opening its first flagship in New York, in the iconic neighborhood Nolita.

Christian Lahoude, recognized luxury retail architect, who has already designed for Gucci, Tiffany & Co., Alexander Wang and Jimmy Choo, is the creative force behind Josefinas’ first flagship.

“The store speaks to the femininity of Josefinas’ world, balancing it with a young, fresh feel, while incorporating the distinctive heritage of the brand through the use of exclusively handmade design elements that speak to Portuguese craftsmanship”, he says.

Josefinas’ flagship in NYC.

Josefinas was invested last year by Portugal Ventures and has been growing based on e-commerce. The USA became their biggest market in 2016, representing 35% of the sales.

But besides the importance of the US market for the brand, opening this flagship was part of their vision from the beginning, according to Maria Cunha:

Two years ago we wrote on a whiteboard in our office ‘Josefinas First Flagship: NYC 2016’. Two years have passed and we’re fulfilling our dream.

So far, the bold move seems to be paying of. Sofia Oliveira reveals how customers have been reacting to the new place:

The reaction has been amazing. In social networks, our fans have shown tremendous affection for Josefinas. In the store, customers are loving the space and can’t stop complimenting us. They feel part of the Josefinas universe.

If you’re in NYC, pay them a visit and try on some models. If you’re not, visit their website and join the other 400k following them on Instagram.

Is Josefinas becoming the new must-have ballet flats brand?