How Family-Owned Spanish Shoe Company Pedro García Plans to Mark its 100th Anniversary

Pedro García is ready to celebrate.

The Spanish family-owned luxury footwear brand is kicking off its 100th anniversary milestone celebrations this year with a special capsule collection, exclusive in-store pop-ins, a commemorative book and a series of exclusive events.

The new collection, dubbed Essentia, features a limited-edition range of sandals made from the finest materials including ethically sourced mother- of-pearl, Swarovski crystals, hand-woven silk satin and vegetable-tanned vacchetta leather. The range retails between $525 and $975.

And starting this week, the Pedro García team will be traveling to four Nordstrom stores to showcase its 100th anniversary collection as well as its new book, “Seasons, A Journey Through Spain with Pedro García.” The first stop on the tour is Nordstrom’s store in Charlotte, N.C. on March 27, followed by the retailer’s locations in Dallas, Texas on March 29, Tampa, Fla. on April 1 and in New York City on April 3.

“We have a fantastic relationship with the Nordstrom team,” Pedro García III, the founder’s grandson and creative director who runs the company with chief executive officer and sister Mila García, told FN in an interview. “And having the opportunity to meet our final consumer at these in-store events is so meaningful. There’s nothing like having the consumer’s feedback to help us improve in the future.”

In addition to Nordstrom, Pedro García will also host events this year with Neiman Marcus, Selfridges in the UK, David Jones in Australia, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, Level Shoes in Dubai, SKP in China, Boon the Shop in Korea, El Corte Inglés in Spain, Karida in Greece and Adora in the Philippines, among others.

Pedro García Amat founded his namesake company in 1925 when he returned to Spain from Cuba to become a shoemaker specializing in footwear for newborns. Within just a few years, the company quickly opened its first family-owned factory in Elda, a town with a long tradition of shoemaking in the Mediterranean region of Alicante, focusing on footwear for children in 1928.

By 1957, Pedro García expanded the factory to add women’s and men’s shoes, and in 1965, the company moved into a new factory covering 43,000-sq.-ft. dedicated solely to women’s footwear.

Today, the company is now in the hands of the family’s third generation – brother and sister Mila and Pedro García, who took over the reins from their father, who was also named Pedro García.

“I know for my father, reaching this milestone would have been a dream come true,” Pedro said reflecting on his father who passed away in 2016 at age 81. “But for me, I am grateful for the legacy of the company. It’s great that we are able to keep production here in the Spanish city where we were founded. Being a made in Spain footwear company is an integral part of the Pedro García DNA.”

Pedro noted that his father did not push him to join the company, but he did know how to show his children that working with family could be fun. “It was fun for me, and I am happy with how we’ve grown,” the creative director said. “I believe we achieved what my father had in mind in terms of expanding the little workshop my grandfather started so long ago.”

Pedro García is currently sold in 48 countries, and the brand has been worn by numerous celebrities, including Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, and Queen Letizia of Spain, among others.

As for who may take over the business one day from Pedro, the next generation of the family is already involved – Zahara García as its marketing and communication director and Candela Albert García as marketing project manager and e-commerce optimization.

“My nieces Zahara and Candela have been at the company for more than a few years now and I believe they have the desire to keep the business in the family,” Pedro said. “I am confident that the company will continue with their leadership one day and they are prepared to go ahead with this responsibility.”