MAKU UK x Melissa White collaboration

We are very excited to launch our first collaborative project…

MAKU have teamed up with the artist Melissa White who has created a unique design for our handmade POLIN slip-ons. This will be a micro batch of slippers made from leather industry seconds. Melissa will be hand-painting her beautiful acanthus leaf pattern on just five pairs...

The acanthus leaf is a classical motif that goes back to art and architecture of ancient Rome. Inspired by this form, Melissa has created a stunning organic design that combines traditional earth tones with a contemporary colour pop.

View our unique slipper range POLIN Acanthus Berry

About MAKU UK

In 2021 MAKU UK began its mission to make useful, beautiful things from leather industry discards. Launching initially with just three batches of limited edition slippers, we have since created over one hundred slipper batches in a myriad of colours and finishes and vastly broadened our range to include hats, bags, reversible gilets and more. We are very excited to have now created our first hand-painted range.

Suzan Aral, founder and creative director of MAKU UK says:

“Melissa and I met when I realised a wallpaper design I was a huge fan of had been created by an artist local to us here in Hastings. We got together and our mutual love of pattern and natural materials soon resulted in us planning to collaborate – and this unique batch of slippers is the result! It’s been so exciting to develop the idea with Melissa and see her beautiful design painted onto our handmade slippers.”

About Melissa White

Artist Melissa White is the creator of stunning hand-painted surface patterns that grace the walls of many a grand hotel and stately home worldwide. She came to the world of decorative interiors from an unconventional direction, specialising in reproducing Elizabethan painted cloths and wall paintings. From her studio on the Sussex coast, Melissa designs and hand paints her stunning surface patterns for domestic, commercial and heritage interiors.

Artist Melissa White says:

“I’m always intrigued to see how my designs work on different surfaces so when MAKU proposed giving their leather industry discards a go I snapped up the challenge. The gorgeous soft leather of the POLIN slippers turned out to be perfect for painting. We chose a leafy design that flows naturally across the POLIN’s curves. It tickles me to think of my designs striding off walls and onto feet in this fun collaboration.”

View our unique batch of POLIN Acanthus Berry