Having spent my professional career as a footwear designer, it might be most surprising to learn that I initially thought I would design cars. I knew from childhood that I wanted to be in a creative field and studied art from the age of 14. I gravitate to technically intricate design challenges, and I have always loved vintage cars, leading me to earn degrees in industrial design and later in automotive design. However, it is in fashion that I truly found the dynamic, fast-paced outlet I always needed to marry my love of technical design with my desire for creative storytelling.

Over the course of my life, I have lived in four different countries and speak fluent Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. As a curious person and an enthusiastic observer of human behavior, I enjoy experiencing and adapting to new environments and thrive on understanding how people live and work as well as wear and use style in different communities, cities, and countries. I derive inspiration from other women, architecture, objet d’art, fashion, images, shapes, and textures that evoke the past or a glamorous time.

My career path in footwear design, spanning high-end to mid-market, is defined by my commitment to the craft and building and maintaining relationships with craftspeople, tanneries, factories, and colleagues around the world. I am passionate about telling the stories of the women who will wear my designs while always considering consumer wants and needs and the latest trends. I believe there should be more creatives on the business side of fashion and, as such, I expanded my professional design experience by completing both a Psychology of Leadership Certificate and a Business Management Certificate at eCornell.

My greatest passion in life though is here at my home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where I’m married to a professional musician, and I have 2 very unruly rescue dogs!

CURRICULUM VITAE

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

COLE HAAN, New York, NY 2023 to present
Creative Director of Women’s Footwear and LifestyleProvide creative vision and leadership for all Cole Haan Women’s product and advertising. Drive a consistent Women’s fashion and lifestyle voice for Cole Haan’s consumer, on product design, marketing strategies and advertising messaging. Lead the Footwear and Accessories design teams and give creative direction for all Women’s licensed product categories (outerwear, eyewear, hosiery, etc.) developed by Cole Haan’s licensee partners. Partner with Brand Design and Marketing teams and outside creative partners (photographers, stylists, makeup artists, and set designers) to ensure that a consistent and familiar point of view is translated throughout the brand in Cole Haan’s stores and online environments.

CALERES, New York, NY 2017-2023
Senior Design Director Veronica Beard and Zodiac (2022 – 2023)
Design Director Veronica Beard (2020–2022)
Design Director Via Spiga (2018-2020)
Senior Designer Via Spiga (2017-2018)

Key Accomplishments:

  • Grew the Veronica Beard footwear business by over 100% in consecutive years 2020-2021 and 2021- 2022, working closely with company owners to understand and define footwear direction and positioning within the market.

  • Awarded Brand Launch of the Year 2022 ACE Award for Veronica Beard footwear by Accessories Council.

  • Highlighted as featured brand in Footwear News (September 23, 2021), showing extraordinary growth.

  • Introduced successful new footwear categories into business, including an unprecedented 10K plusunits of a clog sandal in Spring 2021.

  • Expanded retail doors with key partners, including a total of 40 doors with Nordstrom and 11 with Saks.

  • Designed and developed over 40 styles for Via Spiga working directly with factories in Italy.

  • Led showroom presentations for Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and Saks.

NINE WEST, New York, NY 2014-2017
Senior Designer, Footwear

  • Launched a capsule collection to celebrate the brand 40th anniversary.

  • Spearheaded the design and development of footwear collection of over 120 prototypes.

  • Developed product in China, traveling bi-monthly to work directly with factories.

ZARA (Inditex), Alicante, Spain 2013-2014
Senior Designer, Footwear Zara Woman

  • Designed over five collections per year of approximately 15 styles, an average of 30K pairs per sku.

  • Led team of three designing standard collections as well as full-price interim collections.

  • Served as trainer and mentor in Zara’s designer training program.

TABITHA SIMMONS AND LK BENNETT, London, UK, 2012-2013
Design, Consultant

  • Created and developed concepts and designs.

  • Partnered with Adele Clark to develop new designs for up-and-coming brands.

JAEGER LONDON, London, UK, 2010-2012
Senior Designer, Footwear

  • Created the footwear collection, both retail and for London Fashion Week.

  • Design and development with Spanish, Far East and Brazilian partners.

JUAN ANTONIO LOPEZ, Barcelona, Spain, 2008-2010
Designer, Footwear

  • Created the Suspira by JAL footwear collection, aimed at a younger customer.

  • Outsourced design work for Loewe and Custo Barcelona, fashion shows and retail collection.

CAMPER, Mallorca, Spain, 2007-2008
Designer, Footwear

  • Created new range of unisex product to complement the main footwear lines.

  • 100 thousand pairs sold of one of my designs.

EDUCATION

Certificates

eCORNELL, Business School – Business Management Essentials Certificate, 2022
eCORNELL, Business School – The Psychology of Leadership Certificate, 2021
CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS, University of The Arts, London, UK – Fashion and Textile Forecast Certificate, 2010
CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS, University of The Arts, London, UK – Design for Shoes Certificate, 2007

Degrees

IED, Istituto Europeu di Design, Barcelona, Spain – Footwear and Accessories Design MA, 2007
ELISAVA, University School of Design and Engineering, Barcelona, Spain – Automotive Design MA, 2003-2005
IADE, Creative University of Art, Design and Marketing, Lisbon, Portugal – Industrial Design BA, 1997-2001