Alja Viryent Novak

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Alja Novak Viryent is the best known shoe designer in Slovenia. She creates her art footwear under the brand "A. Viryent", a name which goes back to her great-grandfather Jakob Virjent, who was a shoemaker and had French ancestors. There are not many women working as shoe makers, but Alja Novak Viryent's handmade shoes are a labor of love, and a vocation. It's a continuation of her family tradition that has called her to to this profession.

Alja Viryent (born Novak) graduated from the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Arts and Design in 2004. She continued her professional career by managing her own company, which deals with unique design and the manufacturing of shoes. She also established her own brand name, called A. Viryent, a name that originates from her family of shoemakers, therefore continuing a family tradition of custom-made shoe manufacturing. Her great grandfather Jakob Virjent and her grandfather Rado Virjent were master shoemakers and when she was still a little girl both of them contributed to her enthusiasm for this old craft.

In April 2006, she presented an independent exhibition to the public for the first time. The exhibition, entitled Shoes in the City, was sponsored by the City of Ljubljana and took place at the Kresija Gallery in Ljubljana. Her shoes have supplemented the winning creations of Slovenian designers for the Miss Slovenia pageant many a time. In addition to this, many people, from Slovenian celebrities to members of the European Parliament, acknowledge their step as being lighter and somewhat unique because of her shoes.

Her work has also been praised abroad, as her unique shoes with Idrija lace were exhibited at the European Parliament in Brussels, where in November 2007 she had her second independent exhibition. In 2008, the exhibition was moved to the Kresija Gallery in Ljubljana and was ranked in its entirety as an independent exhibition within the context of the 2008 Idria Lace Festival in Idria. After his visit to Slovenia, Hollywood star Ben Affleck became the proud owner of a pair of unique shoes decorated with black Idrija lace. The fact that her boots with Idrija lace are part of a permanent collection at the Idria City Museum also shows how exceptional her work really is.

Future is now....