EXCLUSIVE: Vivaia Taps Alan Buanne for Creative Director Role Amid Store Opening Blitz

Vivaia has tapped longtime designer Alan Buanne as its new creative director.

The eco-friendly footwear brand is tasking Buanne with “advancing the brand’s product thinking beyond aesthetics and feel, with a focus on how footwear supports the body as a whole.”

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This includes addressing the nuanced ways women think about support, developing silhouettes that work across a broad range of skin tones and clarifying how Vivaia communicates its material innovation and ocean-plastic commitments with greater purpose, the company said.

Alongside product development, a key part of Buanne’s job will be to define Vivaia’s global brand image. The company noted that his work will center on telling stories around a modern, evolving customer – her culture, values, and how footwear fits into everyday life.

The brand is also exploring new global partners and collaborators to help tell this story with greater clarity—from strategic organizational alliances to recognizable cultural figures who resonate authentically with women across markets.

His first collections for the brand will be seen in the fall/winter 2026 collection.

Buanne said in a statement that he is eager to join Vivaia at a “pivotal moment.”

“The brand has built a remarkably loyal global following by delivering products that genuinely support women in their everyday lives,” Buanne noted. “Women in their forties and beyond are approaching footwear with a level of intent that the wider category hasn’t fully reflected until now. My purpose is to expand on what’s already clearly resonating and take Vivaia into its next phase with that same decisiveness.”

Trained at Polimoda in Florence, Buanne has held senior roles at Nicholas Kirkwood and Bottega Veneta. He co-founded designer brand Neous in 2015.

Buanne joins Vivaia as the brand enters its next phase of global expansion. In 2025, Vivaia surpassed 75 stores worldwide, with offline performance doubling year-over-year, the company said.

Looking ahead to 2026, the brand plans to expand to 130 stores globally, sustaining growth across Asia, Europe, and the United States. In the U.S., Vivaia noted that it plans to open 10 additional locations across New York, New Jersey, California, and Florida.

These markets were selected based on where consumer demand is strongest, combining high online engagement with a clear preference for in-person shopping—bringing the brand closer to where its customers already are, the company noted.

Alongside its own retail footprint, Vivaia added that it will continue to strengthen its retail partnerships, building on collaborations with Nordstrom and Von Maur while broadening its reach with new partners such as Macy’s.

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