MILAN — Flats, flip-flops, preppy loafers and retro-tinged slim sneakers might be all the rage at the moment, but never underestimate the power of a high heel.

Just ask Annamaria Brivio. Since founding the Italian brand Paris Texas in 2015, she might have expanded her assortment but has always stayed true to that duality between Parisian refined sensuality and Texan audacity her label is known for — and to its sky-high heels.

“It might sound discordant, but my main focus is really the comfort, because I’m the first wearer of these shoes. So the goal is to offer a 4.1-inch heel that is comfortable,” Brivio told WWD. “There’s a technical work carried out season after season to perfect them and make them even comfier… It’s a matter of millimeters, which really change everything. Every day I learn something new, and that’s what I love most of this job.”

Brivio originally established Paris Texas with Massimo Baltimora after finding a gap in the market for fashion-oriented, good-quality footwear at a competitive price point. In 2019 Brivio was honored with the Emerging Talent Award at the annual FN (Footwear News) Achievement Awards, and in 2023 Brazilian conglomerate Arezzo & Co. invested 25 million euros to acquire 65 percent of the company, marking its first international acquisition. Incidentally, last year Arezzo & Co. joined forces with Soma Group, forming the Azzas 2154 company, grouping brands such as Arezzo, Schutz and Alexandre Birman, among others.

Paris Texas’ bestseller is still the Lidia design “in every declination, because it remains recognizable,” said Brivio. The most popular of its different renditions include the sleek mules that were seen on the feet of Nicole Kidman, Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid and the Kardashian-Jenner clan, as well as the pointy slingback pump version sported by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Miley Cyrus and Florence Pugh, to cite a few.

The brand’s spring 2026 collection, to be unveiled upon appointment from Thursday to Sept. 28, will feature new iterations, including the Lidia thong style.

For one, the Lidia thong design was rendered with in an anaconda print in a bold tangerine hue, but other versions played with cork or raffia elements, in addition to leather.

Another standout is the Nina style, defined by a curved wedge in gradient colors that recall sunset hues and summer cocktails. The different renditions of its upper mix matte and metallic effects in strappy designs. Nina will be the focus of a capsule collection the brand will develop for Level Shoes in Dubai, to be launched in November.

Brivio underscored the importance of doing such tests with stockists and the loyalty they have shown toward the brand since Day One. The label is currently available at 250 leading luxury retailers, including Mytheresa, Galeries Lafayette and Saks Fifth Avenue, among others.

Pop-ups, special windows and events developed with the likes of Harrods, The Webster NYC and Antonia Milano offered Brivio the opportunity to further test the market as she eyes opening a Paris Texas store to flank to its e-commerce launched two years ago.

The online store enables her to have a better understanding of the Paris Texas audience. Brivio said that more than half of customers are U.S.-based, a share that keeps growing. In addition to the domestic market — where the wholesale distribution is particularly strong and widespread — best performing areas include Germany, the U.K. and France.  

Brivio has retail experience of her own. After working as a fashion buyer and opening a showroom in Milan, she and Baltimora launched the luxury fashion boutique Norrgatan in Monza, just outside of Milan, in 2012 before establishing Paris Texas and homing in on their knowledge of running both these businesses. 

Her daily tasks like curating displays and visuals for Norrgatan influenced and perfected her talent for conceiving strong storytelling and communication that can cut through the noise. 

“It’s important to imagine the shoes already with a styling approach, it changes everything,” said Brivio. This editorial inclination is fully expressed in Brivio’s custom-made projects for celebrities, where she’s able to let her creativity loose without commercial restraints.

She said one of the peaks she recently reached was a placement on Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, who wore custom Paris Texas boots covered in fringe during her “Cowboy Carter” tour. Similar projects included the crystal-encrusted boots developed in different colors for Dua Lipa and Texan styles designed for the members of rock band Måneskin, which enabled Brivio to experiment with unisex styles.

Yet no one embodies the Paris Texas spirit and intrinsic dualities better than Nadia Lee Cohen. The British artist, photographer and filmmaker has repeatedly worked with the brand on campaigns and as the first personality of its “Through Her Lens” editorial series featuring women on their journey around the world. Last year the two parties reinforced their bond with a capsule collection, which featured images centered on Lee Cohen’s seductive self-portraits. 

Lee Cohen returned as the face and photographer of the fall 2025 campaign, too, this time set in Paris and to be celebrated with a dinner at Brasserie Lipp during the upcoming Paris Fashion Week.