“We thought it was spam, and it was Natalie Portman’s costume designer,” says the founder of a vegan brand from Bordeaux

Want the same ankle boots as Natalie Portman? The York model from the Bordeaux brand Minuit sur terre, with its mix of faux leather made from cereals (corn) and linen pieces, is likely to experience renewed interest. This is the pair of ankle boots that Natalie Portman will wear for the film “Fontain of Youth”, by Guy Ritchie, which will be released in 2025. The founder of the vegan brand Marie Viard Klein, tells 20 Minutes how she was requested.

Last spring, the brand received an email on the contact page. “The person who manages it forwarded it to me, telling me that it was probably spam… says Marie Viard Klein. In fact, she was Natalie Portman’s costume designer.” For a shoot in Egypt, the actress expressly requested vegan shoes and accessories in line with her beliefs.

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Among a selection made by the costume designer with shoes from different vegan and eco-responsible brands, she set her sights on the York ankle boots from Minuit sur terre. “I was so happy,” smiles the founder of the Bordeaux brand. This one was designed by me, although I am not a trained stylist and I learned on the job.”

The workshop located in Portugal called into disaster

The problem was that the costume designer had ordered the last pair available online and three were needed for filming, which began in two weeks. “I called the emergency factory in Portugal. Fortunately, they had all the pieces and they were able to make two more pairs very quickly,” she recalls.

After the shipment, she did not hear from the costume designer for several weeks, when she did not know if the boots had arrived on time, to the right address. When the first visuals were released, it was a relief. “In the photo of the poster we see Natalie Portman, who has our shoes on her feet,” she breathes. The model released in fall 2023 has been put back online.

This unexpected spotlight confirms the new health of the brand which returned to the green in 2023 and 2024 after a very difficult year 2022, linked to the increase in materials linked to the war in Ukraine. It carries out around 30,000 orders per year for these orders for shoes made from plants for the leather aspect (grape, apple, mycelium) and recycled plastic for the suede appearance.