Made by the Mediterranean,
for everyday rituals.
Est. on the Mediterranean coast
Water, in Esperanto.
The element that shaped every coastline, every craft tradition,
every shade of stone along the Mediterranean.
We make footwear for daily life.
Handcrafted in Portugal from materials
the earth can provide and reclaim.
IT STARTED WITH THE WRONG SANDAL.
Daphne Wattiez had spent over a decade in film production, an industry where every detail is deliberate, where nothing on screen happens without intention.
When she looked for a sandal with the same quality of thinking, she couldn't find it. What existed was either synthetic and disposable, or so committed to its sustainability story that it had forgotten to be beautiful.
She wanted the third thing — the sandal that asks no apologies, wears no badge, and simply holds up in the city, on stone steps, year after year.
Training at Arsutoria and Central Saint Martins. Three years of research into bio-materials.
A search across Portugal for the right hands. AKVO launched in 2023.
MADE IN PORTUGAL. SHAPED BY THE MEDITERRANEAN.
The Mediterranean isn't a backdrop for AKVO, it's a point of view. The hardness of limestone. The logic of a fishing village. The way an arched doorway frames a cobblestone street.
Our factory is a small-scale atelier near Porto, working with artisans whose expertise spans generations. Five stages, one pair: fitting, cutting, bonding, stitching, finishing. Each done by hand. Each done with care.
A B Corp certification measures a company's entire impact — on its workers, its supply chain, its environment. We earned it. We intend to keep earning it.
We also partner with Coral Guardian, supporting reef restoration across the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific — because the sea that inspires this work deserves to be protected.
THE MAKING
We began with a simple constraint: if it cannot be found in nature or returned to it, we don't use it.
Our straps are woven from 70% GOTS-certified hemp and 30% Tencel™ — naturally dyed, breathable, and built to soften with wear. Hemp grows without chemicals and restores soil. Tencel is produced from eucalyptus in a closed-loop process that uses almost no water. The straps are woven by Italian artisans in a small atelier, a detail that shows in the finish.
The footbed is +85% sugarcane bio-foam: a carbon-negative material that replaced fossil fuel-derived cushioning without compromising comfort. It was chosen not because it was the easy option, but because it performs.
The sole is +90% natural latex rubber, tapped from Hevea trees by a Portuguese supplier with over 45 years of experience. Moulded with AKVO's signature 'A' wave - for grip, for character, for the quiet pleasure of a sole you recognise.
Each pair arrives in an embroidered cotton dust bag. In place of a shoebox: an FSC-certified paper sheath, embossed. Nothing superfluous.
THE FOUNDER
DAPHNE WATTIEZ
Driven by her vision to transform the ordinary synthetic sandal into the consciously crafted, casual luxury staple that she couldn’t find, Daphne Wattiez founded AKVO in 2023.
After more than a decade in the film production industry, brief training in shoemaking at Arsutoria and design at Central Saint Martins laid the foundation for bringing the brand to life. In-depth research into bio-materials, a commitment to craftsmanship, and partnerships with the right collaborators were key to developing her ESG-driven approach.
Daphne aims to empower AKVO wearers through the brand’s aesthetic, functionality, and values.
