From running a music academy to selling vintage handmade shoes on Instagram

Starting a business doesn't always begin with a business plan. Sometimes it arises from an intuition, a family conversation, or a leap into the unknown. That was how Beatriz Liaño Sacarello, a sailor's daughter with a mother from Gibraltar and resident of Marbella, and Lola de la Oliva Agulló, her sister-in-law from Seville with a salesperson's soul, decided to join forces and create Lobe Spain, a handmade footwear brand that now sells throughout Spain and has occasionally exported to other parts of the world from southern Andalusia.

The story began in 2019, when Beatriz decided to close her music academy in San Pedro de Alcántara. "I didn't want to have staff under my charge, but I was also not convinced by the offers I received, so I decided to start a new business," she recalls.

She did this alongside Lola, who had spent her life dedicated to commerce and runs a 'gourmet' stationery store in Cádiz. With an initial investment of 12,000 euros, 6,000 each, they shaped a brand that today is synonymous with color, design, and authenticity. "It was like jumping into an empty pool," Beatriz tells Diario Sur.

No social networks, no marketing plan: just intuition, effort, and a son who helped them open an Instagram profile. "People said we were crazy to sell shoes without a known brand, but in the first month, with 300 followers, we were already selling."

Internationalization

Behind the success, both claim, "there is work and sensitivity." Beatriz handles the design, the website, and customer contact, both pre and post-sale, while Lola manages suppliers, orders, and the only physical sales point: her store in Cádiz. From there, they have made occasional shipments to places as diverse as Japan, Mexico, Australia, or Peru, although they acknowledge that internationalization is currently on hold. "We have customers who take a plane from Barcelona just to try on a pair," they proudly say.

The pandemic, far from slowing their momentum, strengthened them. In March 2020, before the country shut down, they participated in the Mercado de Motores in Madrid and, shortly after, made the leap to the catwalks with We Love Flamenco 2024 and Simof, also in 2024, alongside designers like Pol Núñez or Lourdes Montes and her brand Mi Abril.

Today, Lobe Spain remains a small company but with a distinctive identity: their creations are bold, comfortable, and colorful. "Each collection offers about twenty models, from size 36 to 41, made with leathers selected from Levante and limited productions that provide our exclusivity and design," Beatriz tells us.

Their Awesome model, with polka dots and stripes, has become an emblem of the brand, and the Unique, in bougainvillea and metallic pink tones, "reflects the energy that drives us because we are moved by a passion for the different," Beatriz assures. "We don't sell what can be found in large department stores or any shoe store. Our shoe is a special piece, made for women who are not afraid to stand out."

Looking to the future, their dream is to continue growing without losing their essence. "We would like to internationalize the brand, but without giving up the handmade aspect or the closeness with our customers," she assures. For now, they continue creating from Marbella without losing an ounce of their enthusiasm.