Designed by Solvita Melne in Latvia · Crafted with Latvian Footwear Makers — WIMS SIA
"I connect structure, aesthetics and meaning."
One-of-a-kind leather boots inspired by chess and playing-card symbolism — created for women who are unafraid to be seen.
About the Designer
Solvita Melne — Founder & Footwear Designer of SOLVITA ICON
My path into footwear design began long before I created my first pair of boots. Since childhood, I have been sketching clothing ideas in notebooks and imagining details that felt distinctive, personal and alive.
At the age of fifteen, I dreamed of becoming a seamstress, but I was afraid to follow that path. Years later, my desire to create found a new expression through footwear. I wanted to design shoes with distinctive details, a story and emotional meaning.
On August 6, 2025, I openly declared my desire to work in footwear design. By the end of that year, I had begun collaborating with WIMS SIA to bring three of my original boot designs to life. Step by step, these ideas evolved into tangible footwear, and the first SOLVITA ICON models began taking shape in the spring of 2026.
For me, life is like a game — no matter how carefully we plan, we can never predict every turn. Chess and playing cards became the visual language through which I express this idea.
The Collection
SOLVITA ICON is a footwear collection where every pair speaks its own visual language. I use form, contrast, symbols and texture to create not just a model, but an image with a clear idea.
In QUEEN OF CARDS, I used a play of contrasts: a white pearlescent base, bright accents and the graphic language of card symbols.
The design of this pair can be personalized: hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs can be changed, keeping the composition flexible and individual.
The KNIGHT'S MOVE model is built on bold geometry, a clean light surface and an authorial heel shaped as a chess knight.
For me, it represents intellectual courage, forward movement and precise choice. The real heel repeats the shape of a chess knight — it was important to preserve the recognisable figure while making it part of a wearable design.
In GREEN STRATEGY, I used bold chess geometry and the contrast of dark khaki and lemon.
For me, this is the image of a woman leader who thinks strategically, sees the whole field and acts with confidence. The chess pieces on these boots were hand-painted — an important part of the model's authorial character.
The colour solution can also be adapted: other shade combinations can be selected if desired.
The Process
Every boot begins on graph paper, hand-drawn and adjusted to your measurements.
Each panel is cut by hand from premium leather selected for each commission.
Patterns applied by hand using archival leather dyes, layer by layer.
Hand-stitched and finished with a protective gloss seal for years of wear.
