”A Mediterranean Reunion”

At MORJAS, we have a (very) disciplined approach to product development. We look at each category of shoes and make the collection as straightforward as it possibly can be. We filter, filter and filter. Our driving force is to make each shoe in the best version it can be. We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re perfecting it.

We let the fashion brands over-design and create trends. MORJAS is on the other side of the spectrum. We are the destination when you’re looking for footwear companions that don’t go out of style and that weathers any trend and season. We want you to look back at your pair of MORJAS in 5, 10, 15 year’s time and still think ”these are beautiful, essential and works with my wardrobe.”

We started with the category of ”formal”. If you have a good suggestion on a name to call this category please let us know, because we still haven’t figured it out. Formal sounds so stiff. So conservative. And we don’t see it that way. But nevertheless, these are styles such as loafers, oxfords and boots.

Now we’re obsessed with creating our take on the slightly more casual side, such as sneakers and espadrilles. Does this mean we’re rushing ourselves into the casual space and losing our brand DNA? No no. We continue with discipline to develop a tight, essential and crystal-clear product portfolio. It’s an additional piece of the puzzle to show you what the MORJAS universe is to us.

The same man that’s sporting a pair of penny loafers with jeans and sweater will need a pair of sneakers to his white trousers or vintage 501s. Or a pair of jaw-dropping espadrilles during the warmer days of the year.

You know. I often get that question: ”How do you create shoes that you see are MORJAS? Like how do you create a unique design?”. That question does not make any sense to me. We are not about that. MORJAS is not about that. We like our clothes and shoes stripped down and under-designed. No big logos or symbols. We are more passionate about perfecting the proportions of a shoe silhouette than putting a flashy logo on there. To us, that makes a lot of sense. If you know, you know.

This spring/summer marks a big step for us as a brand. We consider our portfolio of ”formal” to be quite complete and we’re now launching sneakers and next-level espadrilles. To celebrate that and communicate our style and take on it, I reached out to some of the coolest cats I know. Not only are they cool. They’re also close friends.

I called my friend Nathaniel Asseraf and asked if he would honor us with shooting the campaign in Mallorca. Nathaniel, founder of Casatlantic and part of the Broadway & Sons family, not only kindly accepted but was also an extremely helpful force during the whole trip. His eye to style and feel to aesthetics is something that he is not only born with, but something he has grown, developed and sharpened during his 28 years on earth. We’ve done multiple campaigns with Nathaniel and my creative juices always reach a new level when working together. Thank you my brother for putting a face on the shoes I love so much.

I called my friend Kevis Manzi. Recently the face of Ralph Lauren’s Christmas campaign and a people-favorite at the RL flagship store on St Germain in Paris. We did our first campaign with Kevis in Mallorca in 2019. I wanted to celebrate our common growth and take everything to the next level. Who does Ralph Lauren call when they need styling for their campaigns? Kevis. This man is an artist. You put a bunch of clothes in front of him and he picks and matches stuff that you would never think of. When looking at some of the items isolated in their singularity they might often, to be honest, look.. well. Ugly. But when Kevis puts everything together you have a combo that’s WOW. It’s like a band who starts with one tune and then builds, builds and builds until they’ve created a beautiful symphony. Like an artist who strikes his first draw on the canvas. Layer after layer the tabula rasa develops from pale into a beautiful painting. Thank you Kevis for leading the way, for your dance moves, for your humor and most of all: your big heart.

I wanted a third guy. Someone that complemented Nathaniel and Kevis. Someone with a Mediterranean face that breathes MORJAS. This was hard. It took me weeks of research. Finally I found the perfect man: Ismael Choron. A French-moroccan hybrid that penetrates through your soul with his mesmerizing eyes. I reached out and he embarked on the journey. Welcome to the family brother, we’ve only started.

I called my friend Abraham Engelmark. The magician behind the lens that we’ve worked with since day 1. We went through the vision and I shared that I wanted the tones to be Mediterranean and earth based. Not too funky, not too much. Crisp, stripped-down and beautiful. The result? Well. We always strive to deliver WOW. And when I saw the content, I literally said WOW out loud. Thank you brother.

So the five of us flew to Mallorca: Nathaniel, Kevis, Ismael, Abraham and myself. We spent 5 days on the island and combined photo sessions with food, beers and laughter. A reunion with friends passionate about making the world a little more beautiful. Hope you like it as much as we do.

— Henrik Berg, Founder of MORJAS