Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee… that is what Elegnano® stands for.
Elegnano® offers elegant shoes for men and women. Elegnano® lives by the motto: float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Walking through life effortlessly and elegantly, but strong and sharp at the same time. Technological innovation and modern design make this possible. Elegnano® is literally, and figuratively a fusion of elegance and nanotechnology.
The Italian craftsmanship and high-tech innovation are brought together in unique designs. The design studio is based in Belgium. We pay a lot of attention to the right fit and materials of the shoes. Only top-quality materials are selected with great care. The exclusive leather goods are handmade in the Marche in Italy, known worldwide for producing high-quality footwear.
The contemporary and innovative nature of Elegnano® is emphasized by the design and the use of modern technological developments. Nanotechnology is for example integrated at the level of leather technology to improve the quality, comfort, and durability of the collections. Check out this TEDx presentation by our founder, Katrien Herdewyn, to learn more about the technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--nUvLi-OjI
​
Elegnano® received several awards and honors over the past years, among which the prize for most promising new business in 2015 - Starter of the Year Belgium. In 2019, Elegnano received the Best Women's Designer Footwear Label by Lux Magazine. Elegnano® was honored by Fonds Lionel Vanden Bossche of Koning Bouwdewijn Stichting (Royal King Baudouin Foundation), as well as KBC Start-it and Netwerk Ondernemen.
THE LABEL
THE DESIGNER
Katrien Herdewyn's fascination for shoes started at a very young age: The four-year-old Katrien built a shoe shop in front of the garage and spent hours underneath tables in aisles to look at the shoes of people walking by. In 2010 she graduated as an electrical engineer with a master's degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the University of Leuven. After her studies, she started a Ph.D. in Sciences, in combination with studies in Footwear Design at the Academy of Fine Arts of Sint-Niklaas. She took specialized classes in Fashion Footwear Design at London College of Fashion (UK), Polimoda (Italy), Prescot & McKay (UK), and SLEM (Netherlands). The eccentric collections she designed for the Academy were shown in various exhibitions, fairs, and fashion shows in Belgium, the Netherlands, London, and Paris. In 2013 she was nominated for the Global Footwear Design Award. In 2014 she became the only Belgian finalist in the prestigious Muuse x Vogue Talents - Young Vision Award Accessories.
​
Katrien has given talks, lectures, and interviews for national and international audiences and press on Elegnano®, (female) entrepreneurship, and fashion tech, including talks at TEDx, Week of Europe, Vlerick Business School, KUL MBA Program, iMaterialise Conference, EU Horizon 2020, Deloitte, She Goes ICT (DataNews), and Het Lichaam van Coppens (VTM).
