The Manu Atelier x Rotate collab has got your new season shoes sorted

If you're looking for a new season wardrobe update, you're very much in luck, because some of the coolest sartorial tastemakers have collaborated on a new accessories collection, and you're going to want it ALL.

Beste and Merve Manastir, of cult accessory brand Manu Atelier, have teamed up with danish fashion brand ROTATE, founded by Danish influencers Thora Valdimars and Jeanette Madsen, for a refreshing footwear capsule collection.

Launched yesterday, it is the perfect fusion of both labels' aesthetics, in other words, ultra-trendy designs with an aspirational attitude.

Think nine pairs of shoes, from strappy floral high heeled sandals to embossed croc pumps and a retro high knee patent boot, all with a retro yet modern feel. Here, Beste and Merve give us a closer look at their latest creations.

How did the collaboration come about?

We have been friends with Jeanette and Thora for a long time now and have always been fans of each other's brands. When they decided to launch footwear, they thought it would be amazing to do it in collaboration with us and we couldn't agree more. It was really fun to create something together as two independent and authentic brands.

For our very first collaboration we wanted to align ourselves with the right brand and ROTATE was the perfect fit in terms of brand values and purpose. The idea of this capsule was really to fuse both brands DNA and Thora and Jeanette trusted us for the footwear design and really wanted this collection to reflect our usual structured lines. You’ll see on the Evelina sandals that we used ROTATE’s prints and fabrics from their AW21 collection.

What was the inspiration behind the designs?

This collection is really about fun, injecting colours and really embracing life especially after over a year of living in leggings and wearing trainers. We really focused on creating timeless and playful shoes that will add joy to anyone’s wardrobe. What we love is that collection is versatile and it can take you from day to night very easily. We just wanted to create a collection that is fun, versatile and for the modern women. We didn’t have a specific concept in mind, it was more important to us to create shoes that both our communities and consumers would like and a collection that fuses both brand’s aesthetics perfectly and accurately.

What is your favourite piece and how would you style it?

Beste: The Evelina sandals and the high knee patent boot. Merve: The croc embossed pumps and the high knee patent boot.

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Mabilia Patent Stretch Boot, €420 at <a href="https://www.rotatebirgerchristensen.com/mabilia-patent-stretch-boot.html" data-link-merchant="rotatebirgerchristensen.com"">ROTATE

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Evelina Sandal Pink, €345 at <a href="https://www.rotatebirgerchristensen.com/evelina-sandal.html" data-link-merchant="rotatebirgerchristensen.com"">ROTATE

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Caterina Pump Turquoise, <a href="https://www.rotatebirgerchristensen.com/caterina-pump-turquoise.html" data-link-merchant="rotatebirgerchristensen.com"">€345 at ROTATE

Any other collab plans in the future?

We will have to see how this collection is received, this is our first collaboration for both brands and we are very proud of the results as it is the perfect fusion of both brands aesthetics. We think it’s important to not do too many collaborations as then you loose your brand essence. So let’s see, but we'd rather take our time and do things that feel right.

We are very excited to continue our partnership with fashion photographer Harley Weir for our next campaign shoot. Our last AW21 campaign was such a meaningful campaign, a beautiful statement against the patriarchy. We wanted to raise a voice in this cluttered society by embracing and supporting women to be themselves and free themselves from the diktats of today’s society.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.