Mexas' story is that of an enterprise that creates ties on both sides of the Atlantic. "I went to live in Mexico for work in 2017 and there I got to know huaraches, traditional Mexican shoes with more than 500 years of history that they sell in craft markets. I bought a pair to walk comfortably to the office and be able to go dressed up to work meetings. Every time a friend came to visit Mexico she bought a pair and the girls in the Madrid office asked me to take them in my suitcase. I saw that it was a product that was popular and that no one was marketing in Spain, so I told my friend Borja about it and we decided to embark on the adventure of entrepreneurship," says Jess Bardanca, co-founder of the firm, based in A Coruña.

It was in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, when they launched the project, a stage they remember with great affection. "We received the first 600 pairs that we had ordered to start and together with my partner (because, of course, my partner Borja could not travel to my house) we were putting them in boxes and storing and organizing them in the living room and another room that we had empty. People were very enthusiastic about the networks and that benefited us to go on sale because the first week we sold 100 pairs and many of them were from new customers, the rest were friends and acquaintances," he recalls.

The brand produces 100% in Mexico, in a town called Sahuayo de Morelos, in Michoacán. "It is a totally artisanal process, so it takes several months to produce the quantities we are currently selling. Normally we start producing in October and they are delivered to us in February. We import it to Spain and from here we market it in Europe for stores and our ecommerce," he explains.

In 2023 they produced 10,000 pairs and estimate 16,000 by 2024. They launch one collection a year. At the beginning they sold only the traditional model, the closed huarache, and every year they have been incorporating novelties such as sandals, mules, crab sandals, large sizes, special ones for wide feet, with different heights, etc. Their customers are women of a wide age range, from 25 to over 65 years old, who are looking for comfort and original options, of very good quality leather and different from what is on the market. They are also very much taken into account in the company's strategy. "Every season we send a survey to our entire customer base about what we plan to launch the following year, they vote and from there we decide what we produce and what we don't produce. It helps us a lot not to mess up when buying stock," she says.

With a turnover of 500,000 euros in 2023 and the forecast to reach 800,000 euros in 2024, its main sales channels are distributed 50% between the online store and the wholesale commerce. In addition, its activity in social networks, mainly Instagram, Facebook, Google and Pinterest, has been key in the positioning of the business.

Social project

From the beginning, it was clear to them that they wanted the brand to have a social project associated with it, which would not only generate jobs in Mexico, but also provide an extra positive impact on the communities where they produce. For this reason, they have been collaborating with the NGO Mujeres Aliadas since they founded the company in 2020. 

Another important part for Mexas is to always showcase the craftsmen and craftswomen who make the shoes. "With each order we send a card that includes a portrait of the artisans made by different artists, as well as their name and a short biography. In addition, in our networks we put a lot of emphasis on showing the process, the people and the essence of craftsmanship. That's where our slogan We honor the hands comes from," he says.

Looking ahead, the biggest challenge for the coming years is to internationalize the brand. "We have already started operations with Japan to distribute to stores there and they have placed a first order with us. We have also just created a partnership in the USA to be able to start B2B operations from Mexico to the United States, since for us it is a market that has given us very good results in 2023. And of course, we will also start marketing campaigns in the rest of Europe because for the moment we have only focused on Spain," he explains.