The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023 - Issue 33

biteshoes I n the Inuit language spoken by the in- digenous people of northern Canada and parts of Greenland and Alaska, the word ‘Inuikii’ enhances the beauty of two stories. ‘Inu’ means ‘beautiful’ and is used to describe a girl, while ‘ikii’ is ‘cold’; combined, it translates to ‘the beauty of the cold’. Swiss footwear brand, Inuikii was born out of a de- sire to create fashion-forward footwear for the winter months, influenced by the sur- rounding mountainous Alps and enhanced by Greenland’s winters. The brand was founded in 2013 by Ital- ian-born Cinzia Maag and her sons Danilo and Alessio, who moved to Switzerland as a young girl in the early 1960s. Her advent into the footwear industry began several years into her first job at a bank. While she was a leading trust manager, she was asked if she would like to take on the Swiss representation for shoes from Italy. It was the perfect opportunity as the would-be shoe designer had a foible for fashion and design with a passion for shoes. Firstly, she marketed shoes as an agency, then imported them as a wholesaler. She incor- porated Hunter, the exclusive rubber boots from Scotland, into the premium brand in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Eventu- ally, introducing Inuikii winter boots, Cinzia experimented with fine-quality leathers, unu- sual furs, varied textiles and glittering sequins with colour prints and gleaming metals. The iconic boots are the bedrock of the brand, designed with lambskin inner and a patented natural rubber sole. Inuikii is a family affair celebrating the unique individualities and strength its mem- ber brings. “Our ultimate aim is to allow the wearer of each piece to feel stylish and com- fortable, but most importantly, when they put on the shoes, create an individual person- al fashion statement that is their own,” the brand says. After a successful start, the brand expanded through its partnership with Swed- ish fashion entrepreneur Nicole Nordin who initially distributed it. "The boot is our DNA piece, and it expresses individuality. Everything we stand for,” Ales-