MIAMI — As a kid in Venezuela, Miguel Lozano helped his father make promotional products for such well-known names as Mercedes-Benz and Bacardi. By the time he was 12, he had hired himself out as a graphic designer and web developer, and while in high school in Orlando, he and a friend had an online sneaker boutique that sold limited edition sneakers to collectors.
The 18-year-old Florida International University sophomore has now launched a men’s luxury footwear line that he hopes will marry his passion for shoes with his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
“I’ve always been into shoes,” said Lozano, a finance and marketing major. “I used to own a lot of them — at least 50 pairs.”
No longer. As a college student with limited space, he’s culled his collection to sneakers and dress shoes. But his company, Gambino Alliance, affords him an emotional outlet. He recently opened a Kickstarter account to raise money for his project. In less than 48 hours, he had made his goal of $20,000. The campaign ended Sunday.
Something extra
The Kickstarter fundraiser was just the latest step in an almost two-year process. Lozano actually began working on his footwear line back in 2015, as a college freshman. Why not, he asked himself, design a nice pair of Chelsea boots, something he would wear?
Chelsea boots are a classic, “but they’re also trending,” Lozano noted. “Everyone wants a pair.”
So Lozano did what he usually does when faced with a challenge. He dove into research online, until he found a factory in Pakistan willing to make some samples. Then he invested months in pursuit of the quality he wanted. It took 20 different tries for the factory to get it right.
“The quality of the leather is very, very important,” he explained. “Eighty percent of what’s out there is pig leather, and it’s not very good. I wanted cowhide leather. It’s more expensive, but it also feels so much better.”
He was particular about more than just the leather, though. He sent the factory back to the drawing board several times because it wasn’t meeting his design requirements. What’s more, the soles of the boots “were pretty bad. Extremely ugly.” He wanted flexible rubber soles — and something extra, too. Inspired by NASA’s use of material — a detail he picked up during his research — he added temper foam to the inside soles.
“For the best comfort,” he added.
By May 2016, nearly six months after he had first started, Lozano received a sample that met his requirements, from the stitching to the sole to the materials, all sourced from Germany and Italy. Lozano then moved on to working on another style: the classic Derby shoe. The production of this one was easier. By then he had done the research on materials for the boots and looked through the Pantone catalog to select the colors for his footwear. He decided on some of the trending hues but also “picked out a lot of what I like.”
All this effort has come with a price, of course, and it’s not just one that can be measured in dollars. Between his studies, his commitment to get Gambino off the ground, and freelancing for a children’s swimwear company, Lozano doesn’t have much time for the usual college socials.
Partying? “That’s just not my scene,” he said. “I did a lot of partying in high school already.”
