How to make it in fashion and footwear today? Throw out the old rules — and stay the course, even when the going gets tough. That’s how today’s emerging designers are navigating the still-shaky waters of the industry’s fast-changing new normal. From shifting retail strategies to supply chain challenges — and an imperative on sustainability — these 14 imaginative and agile creatives are charting new territory.
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Titi Adesa
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands After studying and practicing pharmacy, Adesa turned to her passion of footwear, studying at Cordwainers at the London College of Fashion and traveling to Italy to learn shoemaking from the artisan level. “I went straight to Milan to decamp and just did it the old-fashioned way,” said Adesa. “I took Italian classes so that I could go to the factories. I ended up finding a factory that was willing to allow me to learn [shoemaking]. For a year and a half, I would visit them any time I could, on the weekends, to learn about all of the shoe components.”
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Titi Adesa
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Taking inspiration from family and travels, Adesa incorporates her Nigerian heritage into her designs. The FaFa pump, for example, is inspired by her grandmother. “She would always dress up really fancy to go to our house on Sundays. Every time she would say in our language ‘(something) Fafa,’ which means ‘sophisticated’ intheYorubalanguage,”Adesa explained. “It kind of stuck with me, and when I wanted to create a pump that was very elegant, I thought of her.”
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Ancuta Sarca
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands “I was just making shoes for myself at first,” said Sarca. “I had this idea of upcycling, and I was just mixing things together, using shoes that I wasn’t wearing anymore.”
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Ancuta Sarca
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands “When I started, I just mixed together vintage heels with trainers. They were like objects of art — they weren’t that wearable. I wanted to do them properly, so I started working with a small factory in Italy. We created a structure for the shoe using deadstock, creating everything from the sole to the heel, linings and bindings out of waste materials. Now we are looking for suppliers that have the deadstock to use. It’s not as obvious as before, but it’s all still upcycled,” said Sarca, whose merchandise comes with a note to retailers that each pair will be slightly different given the limited supply of materials. “They are happy with that. I think a few years ago, retailers might not have been as understanding of this idea.”
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Mach & Mach
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands “Footwear is the love of our lives,” said Nina. “It can entirely change a woman and her look. It can make her more confident as well. Beautiful shoes can elevate anything you wear.”
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Mach & Mach
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands “It has been nine years and nine months since we created Mach & Mach,” said the sisters. “There was no breakthrough moment for us. It was all gradual growth for us and we have been through all stages of development.”
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Gia Borghini
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands The designer has partnered with both Pernille Teisbaek and Rosie Huntington-Whitely on full collections. “Collaboration is a simple enrichment of the brand, it gives it more substance and different points of view,” said the designer, whose team is made up of more than 95% women. “It is impossible to do something by yourself. The strength is always in creating a team.”
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Gia Borghini
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Borghini does all of her sourcing and manufacturing in Tuscany, where she lives, using by- product leathers and testing out eco-leather options, though she noted that for her, sustainability also relates to community. “My No. 1 goal is to support and bring to an international level these amazing artisans of Tuscany, who have suffered a lot during the pandemic,” said Borghini. “They are part of the family, and this is a way to help my local community.”
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Iindaco
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands The design duo met while working as footwear and accessories designers at luxury brands. “We were at huge companies, we had to do a lot of proposals and prototypes, but no one was thinking about what was the next cycle of life for all those materials. We realized a lot of materials were just being destroyed,” said co-founder Pamela Costantini.
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Iindaco
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Costantini and Rapisardi spotlight materials and fabrics, using archival deadstock found in Italian factories. When a historical factory informed them that a large order from a big brand was canceled, the duo used the
unused materials to create “La Dolce Vita,” a capsule of slippers. -
Sunni Sunni
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Dixon studied fashion merchandising in New York and in between classes, he learned from a cobbler who lived nearby on St. Mark’s Place how to make shoes from scratch. The hobby quickly turned into creating custom footwear for the likes of Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj. At his day job, meanwhile, the designer was working at Eileen Fisher as a product manager — until 2020, when he decided to officially launch his footwear pursuit as a full brand.
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Sunni Sunni
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands While the brand initially started with men’s, the classic shoe styles are inherently unisex. “I don’t design for a gender in mind,” said Dixon. “I just design for the aesthetic, and that can flow on to wherever it needs to for anybody. All I have to do is provide the size.” The designer had a major break when he created a pair for Dwyane Wade — and then another for Lil Nas X.
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R0am
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands After seeing a gap in the market for both sustainability and comfort, R0am founder Kay Sides launched her own brand with a slide sandal that is made with a custom-molded footbed derived from bio EVAs from sugarcane and plants and recycled rubber tread. She added memory foam uppers and mid-soles wrapped in neoprene for wicking and breathability.
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R0am
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands “The challenge comes from things that just are not controllable, from the shipping to the
port shutdown,” said Sides. “Another challenge is committing and staying the course with our sustainability commitment. This is going to happen because of our own research, our own diligence to push and find solutions.” -
Prota Fiori
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Prota Fiori
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Agnes Bethel
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Husband-and-wife duo Justice Bessent and Leslie Jackson-Bessent, who are also Navy veterans, started the brand over a $20 bet they made when Justice said he could design a pair of shoes much better than a pair his wife wanted to buy. And so he did.
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Agnes Bethel
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands The brand is named after Justice’s mother and is rooted in inclusivity, including its 35-43 sizing. “It’s all about the memories and moments in beautiful footwear. I want people to really understand that it’s more than shoes,” he said. “We want to be the platform where we can be an advocate for veterans. When we first started, there was nowhere for us to turn to, especially being a disabled veteran and leaving the military. We want to be able to create some place where people can come and say, ‘I need help, I need training.’ This can be a stepping stone to something greater, not only for African-Americans or veterans, but for just people in general.”
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DeBosé
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands After attending Parsons School of Design, DeBosé wanted to further explore shoe design and launched her made-in-Italy namesake line, which is gender-neutral.
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DeBosé
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands The designer plans to launch a secondary collection later this year, which will include moto boots. “I wanted to launch with a diversified style like a sneaker because of the versatility and being able to wear it in the winter, summer and all year round. I was kind of exploring my roots and where I came from and the things that made me inspired when I was a kid. Being born and raised in Detroit was a huge part ofitandtheMotownera,” said DeBosé.
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Arielle Baron
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Coming from a family of fashion creatives (her father is legendary creative director Fabien Baron, and her mother is former Vogue Italia fashion director Sciascia Bambaccini), designer Arielle Baron is now stepping out on her own. “Growing up with so many creative people around who were working at such a high level, I was quite shy and a perfectionist with my own creativity,” said Baron. “I kept it close to my chest. But it’s time to put myself out there. It’s intrinsic and it’s in my blood to make things.” Business partner Eric Best has a background in wholesale — working for Lanvin and Balenciaga — and the two first met in college.
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Arielle Baron
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands “I wanted to create something that has a very discreet silhouette with an element of surprise,” said Baron. “That surprise came from this phantom heel that took a year to develop. It’s infinitely transformative, and the heel reflects any surface that you’re walking on, as well as refracts and reflect light.”
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Nicolette Nichelle
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands The designer couldn’t shake her love of footwear, so she taught herself how to sketch and how to create shoes from Google and YouTube, and then researched how to find a factory. Since then, she has launched her namesake label offering colorful, fun heels done in bandana prints, smiley faces, yin-yang graphics and more.
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Nicolette Nichelle
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands “When I started, my intention wasn’t just to have a lot of bandana footwear, and that’s kind of what I
did because that’s what my customers wanted,” said Nichelle. “I want to just stay true to who I am and what I like. So that’s a big struggle for me because you want to keep your customers happy.” -
Sylth Virago
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Goldman (a nurse practitioner) and Diamantis- Svec (a fashion business executive) were looking for a sustainable luxury shoe brand and alternatives to leather that fit their style aesthetic — so they launched their own. To offer a range of shoe styles they call “urban luxe,” they tapped designer Kyle Blackmon to create footwear with a commitment to sustainability.
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Sylth Virago
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands Shoes are made with animal-free materials, 30% of the material is biodegradable, and suppliers are carefully chosen with help from a sustainability expert, bio-designer and researcher. “We want people to want our shoes because they’re special. They are not only sexy, but also have our planet in mind. I’d like to be the staple vegan brand in luxury shoes,” said Diamantis-Svec.
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Goya
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands While vacationing in Spain, designer Kimberley Tecles- Byrom happened upon traditional menorquina sandals.“I would go back to London, where I was living at the time and it just didn’t feel like the shoe fit in with my lifestyle there,” she said. “I felt like there was room for developing this style of shoe, which is based on one classic silhouette, and turning it into something that was more trend-led that could be adopted into a fashion wardrobe rather than just for a vacation.”
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Goya
Image Credit: Courtesy of Brands I produce collections rather than seasons. I produce limited quantities and when it’s gone, it’s gone. So when you remove the pressure of having to churn out seasons for a wholesale partner, you’re able to focus a little bit more on product development,” said Tecles- Byrom.
