A Southwest Florida store owner has had operated the footwear business for more than 35 years. In October, Ken Atchison will launch Pikolinos shoes which is a unisex line of emerging eco-friendly footwear based mainly overseas. to Naples and the U.S.

The first store in the U.S. is expected to open Oct. 1 in The Mercato shops in North Naples. And Pikolinos promotes itself as a business that aims for design, quality and originality. They boast “comfort fashion,” rather than high fashion.

The brand promises the shoe will deliver comfort because of the way the leather is treated. All Pikolinos shoes are made of vegetable leather. The material goes through a tannery in Spain, where it is treated with all natural products.

The leather stays in the tannery for at least three weeks, resulting in a product that will form to your foot and last. And that’s the key difference in the market.

Caserta, 20, is a Naples fashion consultant and Mercato shopper. Pikolinos shoes are appropriate to recommend to her clients with busy schedules.

The shoes typically cost between $150 and $170. The shop in Mercato will carry more than 250 styles. And they are be sold in more than 60 counties. The US will be the next target.

S

hoppers can find select Pikolinos in Natural Comfort Footwear in Mercato. They are also available at Nordstrom’s department stores. Atchison was one of the first American accounts with Pikolinos. He has been suggesting the brand expand to the states for years.

Atchison has been managing stores in Southwest Florida for 10 years. He owns several shops in Mercato and 5 Ave. And Mercato is near the intersection of U.S. 41 and Vanderbilt Beach Road in North Naples. Pikolinos will be beneath the Silverspot movie theater, next to AZN Azian Cuizine.