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Sometimes a success story begins where others give up. In the Sauerland of the 1980s, Jeannette-Renée Mang grows up in a world where order, security, and convention seem more important than individuality. But even early on, she senses that her path will not be a straight one. When she decides to drop out of school shortly before her final exams, it is more than teenage rebellion – it is the first step toward a life she wants to shape herself. Instead of a lecture hall, she chooses the office; instead of theory, practice, and soon finds herself in Düsseldorf, the city where fashion, media, and movement set the pace.

But she quickly learns that the routine life of a secretary in the late nineties is not for someone who sees a new beginning in every experience. So she moves on, this time to Austria – out of curiosity, a desire for freedom, and perhaps also because she senses that something is waiting there that has more to do with her own pace. In Vienna, she discovers the world of weddings, those fleeting moments between planning and feeling, where perfection and emotion go hand in hand. She organizes events that are more than just celebrations, and becomes a sought-after wedding planner whose clients travel from all over the world to place the most important day of their lives in her hands. She coordinates caterers, musicians, and florists, takes care of every detail, and stays until dawn, and often beyond. But while she realizes other people's dreams, an idea of her own begins to grow – born out of a necessity: shoes that are elegant enough for the evening and comfortable enough to wear for eighteen hours on your feet. A contradiction that should not have to exist. In 2018, she founds BELLAS VIENNA, initially as an online shop, out of a desire to fill a gap.

For what she was looking for – flat, feminine shoes with style, substance, and Italian craftsmanship – simply did not exist. In Tuscany, she finally finds the workshop that understands her standards: a family-run workshop where things are still made by hand today. The first models are created there, inspired by classic tassel loafers and ballet flats, reinterpreted with a modern twist, bold in color, but never loud. When the pandemic forces the wedding industry to a standstill shortly thereafter, she responds with determination, not fear. In the summer of 2020, she opens her first store of her own in Vienna – 40 square meters of style and confidence in the midst of uncertainty. Success comes faster than she expected. Customers love the quality, the fit, and the style, and so a year later comes Munich, then Salzburg, a second Vienna store, and finally, in 2022, the expansion to 400 square meters in the heart of the city center. By now, they are BELLAS VIENNAsold in Paris and New York as well, at Flying Solo, a concept store that promotes young brands with international potential. What began as a small idea has long since crossed boundaries – geographically and conceptually. Today, Jeannette-Renée Mang works with more than twenty workshops in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Every model is developed with the same standard: style can be comfortable, and comfort can look beautiful. Her designs are created in Vienna, where she tests, photographs, and curates new shapes, colors, and textures together with her team. She organizes the photo shoots herself, often in special locations – most recently in South Africa –, because she senses that atmosphere and authenticity are part of the product. She is an entrepreneur and an aesthete at the same time, a perfectionist with her feet on the ground, someone who lives her brand. Her leadership style is pragmatic but human: flat hierarchies, a lot of trust, a shared vision. The fact that her employees stay is probably because she understands what it means to build something from scratch.

In 2023, she opened her new flagship store at Dorotheergasse 5 – a spacious sanctuary of wood, light, and leather, not far from St. Stephen's Cathedral, a tribute to Italian elegance and Viennese understatement. Here, between Kohlmarkt and Graben, everything seems to come naturally: the soft color nuances, the clear order, the subtle scent of leather that almost reminds one of Tuscany. But behind this lightness lies strategy. Because Mang has not only created a product, but an attitude – and without ever calling it that. She democratized fashion without compromising on quality, combined craftsmanship with a love of life, without pathos. Her shoes tell stories of movement, courage, and independence, and perhaps that is exactly the reason why BELLAS VIENNAis long since more than a brand. It is a way of life, born from a longing for freedom, carried by people who know that style begins with your feet. Finally, in 2024, she opened a summer pop-up at Wörthersee – a temporary retreat between sky, water, and design. From here, she looks into the future, which has long since become international. Her success is no coincidence, but the result of an instinct that rarely deceives: the sense of what people really want to wear – shoes that not only fit, but accompany them. For more information, visit BELLAS VIENNA