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by Dara Morgan
Pump Fiction: Amina Muaddi Begum — Cinderella With Wi-Fi
Once upon a time, a shoe changed a life at a ball. In 2018, a shoe changed Instagram. Enter the Begum by Amina Muaddi — a slingback so young it has barely blown out the candles on its seventh birthday, yet already behaves like a seasoned celebrity who never takes a bad photo.
Episode 5 of Pump Fiction unpacks how the Begum stormed the scene with its flared martini heel and crystal sunburst brooch, why Amina Muaddi herself is a modern fairy godmother armed with spreadsheets, and how a PVC pump managed to become both a meme and a Met Gala regular.
Here are three things you probably didn't know about the Begum — unless you have been setting alarms for drops since 2018:
- It was born from a restart. Muaddi had already launched (and left) one brand before relaunching under her own name with the Begum.
- The heel is her signature. The flared martini silhouette became instantly recognisable — like a logo you could balance on.
- It conquered both culture and code. From Euphoria to Insecure, the Begum became scripted shorthand for glamour, while Muaddi’s social media turned her brand into a lifestyle.
Missed previous episodes? Here you go:
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