Noel France

Noel France
Rugged Lightweights

"Children are dynamic, and so are our shoes," states Noel. The children's shoe label is a subsidiary of the French shoe company Noel France S.A. One of their specialties is the super-light yet extremely rugged Smartlite sole, which, according to company statements, allows the production of the "lightest shoes on the market".

Girls can be "very girly" in Spring/Summer 2011 thanks to pastel shades and metallic finishes, or very natural in bold colours and sensationally processed leathers. Favourite colours include pink, soft and bold purple, white, grey and light denim blue.

For boys there is a broad selection of half-open styles with high-rise protective outer soles and a variety of adjustable sandals of pure leather. Natural colours such as brown, beige and khaki play the primary role here.

For babies there are closed shoes and sandals with thin, light and extremely flexible soles in a multitude of colour combinations. The innersoles are removable in most Noel styles.

The company was founded in 1921 by Henri Noel as a craft enterprise in Vitré Cedex. Initially only leather clogs with wooden soles were produced. In 1928 Henri's brother, Edward, became a partner in the business. Noel Frères now specialises in children's and men's shoes. Edward's son, Xavier Noel, joined the company in 1955 and drove growth until in 1970 Noel ranked eighth among French shoe manufacturers.

Noel Frères became Noel France in 1979. Since 1991, Xavier's son, Patrick Noel, manages the group. In addition to Noel, the brand portfolio now includes Babybotte, TTY, Minibel and Easy Peasy, with annual sales totalling approximately 109 million euros.

- www.noelshoes.fr