MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Ruthie Davis, Shoe Designer and Entrepreneur
For Ruthie Davis, shoe obsession started at the tender age of two when she tried on her first pair of red patent leather Mary Janes. Ruthie fell so fast and hard in love with the shoes that when the salesman went to take them off, he was confronted with the fierce glare of a baby fashionista. Little Ruthie wore the shoes out of the store and according to her mother, insisted on wearing them to bed that night.
Little Ruthie's love-affair with shoes has, over time, transformed into an uncompromising obsession with producing some of the most provocative footwear in the world. In 2006, Davis introduced her own brand of handcrafted Italian-made shoes. The collection is a high-style/ high tech merging of the designer's personal style—referencing architecture, modernism, and future technology with a lifelong love for '60s Italian cinema and the larger than life heroines of childhood comic books. Her shoes are innovative in form, function and materials and always radiate a sexy elegance.
At the core of Ruthie's design philosophy lies the concept of integration. She herself is more than just a designer; she has an MBA. She oversees every aspect of her company, from design to production to marketing to PR. In essence, Ruthie IS her brand. This allows her to execute her ideas without interference, and the result is a purity of product that is rare in today's marketplace.
In terms of the Footwear Industry, Ruthie has always understood where design and marketing are connected. While always keeping the her keen eye as a marketer focused on the trends of the moment, she prefers to follow her own signature vision for modern, sexy, functional design, and the results are consistently ahead of the pack collections. Always pushing things forward, the industry watches Ruthie as much as she watches the industry.
Ruthie earned her Bachelors of Liberal Arts from Bowdoin College, where she studied English and Visual Arts. After earning an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson Graduate School of Business, Ruthie began her career in footwear as a _"Cool Hunter_" at Reebok. Eventually she became Director of the Reebok Classic division, where she launched "Classic Derivatives"; reinvented versions of Reebok's classic white sneaker. The success of this concept ignited a consumer love affair with "throwback" designs in footwear. From Reebok, Ruthie moved on to become Vice President of Design and Marketing at UGG Australia in California. She repositioned the iconic sheepskin UGG boot as fashion, with updated styles and a high-profile marketing campaign that utilized a combination of Hollywood product-placement and print ads in major fashion magazines. The result was an international fashion phenomenon. After her success at UGG, Tommy Hilfiger offered Ruthie an opportunity to helm a new satellite footwear office in New York. As Vice President of Marketing and Design for Women's Footwear, Ruthie launched a new division, "Tommy Girl Shoes", aimed at the young female consumer, taking the brand towards a fresher, more fashion-forward direction.
In 2006, Ruthie launched DAVIS by Ruthie Davis. For Fall 2009, she is expanding her collection to include Ruthie Davis – the top tier of her brand.
Almost immediately upon its premiere, DAVIS by Ruthie Davis was embraced by the fashion press, celebrities and New York Fashion Week for its bold incorporation of technology, architecture and style. With her first collection, Ruthie saw her shoes featured in eclectic publications such as ELLE, Lucky, Nylon, Wallpaper and Vogue Nippon which actually mirrored the emerging universality of her fan base in the US and Internationally. To date, DAVIS by Ruthie Davis has been featured in hundreds of publications such as Cosmopolitan, Glamour, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Vogue Italia, People, US Weekly, Ok, In Touch, Surface, Zink, WWD, FN and many more. Ruthie also has a loyal celebrity fan base that goes back to her first collection and thrives today. Perhaps her most devoted celebrity fan is Beyonce who looked to Ruthie for that perfect shoe to launch her new futuristic image at the 2008 Conde Nast Fashion Rocks red carpet and has since worn a number of DAVIS by Ruthie Davis shoes. She and many other performers see Ruthie Davis shoes as the go-to brand for high-octane glamour that you can pass the ultimate high-performance tests—walking the red carpet and dancing and singing on stage! Other celebrity fans include: Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, Hilary Duff, Penelope Cruz, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Michelle Williams, Avril Lavigne, Maria Bello, Lauren Conrad, Whitney Port and Kim Kardashian.
Ruthie lives and works in New York City with her husband, Innes and two dogs River and Desert.
Whom You Know is pleased to present her as our Mover and Shaker! Peachy Deegan interviewed Ruthie Davis for Whom You Know.
Peachy Deegan: Tell us more about those shoes you fell in love with at the age of 2 please.
Ruthie Davis: They were fire engine red shiny patent leather Mary Janes with the strap connecting with a button wrapped in the same red patent leather. They had about a half inch heel wrapped in the same red patent leather. The best part is that my mother tells the story that from that day on - I had an "attitude" - it was like, "don't mess with me, I'm a fashionista now"...
If you were limited to ten pairs of shoes in your closet, please describe what we would find in there.
1) John Varvados Converse sneakers
2) Ugg Classic Mini
3) Hunter tall black rain boots
4) Nike Zoom Vomero 4 running shoes
5) Ruthie Davis "Sushi" peep toe
6) Ruthie Davis "Ice" Pumps
7) Ruthie Davis "Chelsea" tall boots
8) Ruthie Davis "Slnky" bootie
9) Ruthie Davis "Bolt" Pumps
10) Ruthie Davis "Edamame/Sashimi" Combo
What shoes were the most fun to design and why?
For Fall 2009 - I loved designing my new "SuperPower" Heel. It is a futuristic and multi-faceted heel that can be colored in so many different ways. I love all of the patterns on this heel for Fall 2009 including: Bolt, Pluto and Odyssey.
When did you realize you had a talent for shoes?
When I was growing up, my dad used to say that I had so many pairs of shoes that I would need to: (a) get into the shoe business or (b) marry rich. I chose the former and from that moment on took my love affair with shoes very seriously. I used to sketch shoes all through high school and college and while at my first job in the footwear industry at Reebok - I knew I had found my niche. It was there that I knew I had a talent for making shoes on-trend and fashion relevant that consumers wanted to wear. That is my best talent. I tend to know what people want.
What are you proudest of?
I am most proud of the happiness and "girl power" feeling that my shoes give to women. I am a women, who runs her own business, who is making fierce shoes for women that will enhance their sense of confidence and make them feel like they can conquer whatever they set their minds to and they will look fabulous in the process.
What trends are the hottest for summer in shoes?
Well, I have been using pops of neon since Fall 2008, but now everyone is finally onto that trend and I think that is the hot summer trend right now. It's all about bright nails and bright pops of color on shoes. I also think having multiple straps on the ankle and the concept of like an open toe summer shoe bootie is a very hot trend right now.
How about for fall?
Fall 09 continues with the hits of bright color on shoes mixed with the more traditional fall colors. I also think heavy duty embellishment on shoes is key and mixing of materials and mediums to create interest. If people are going to spend money on shoes - they want something really special with a lot going on from a color and detail point of view.
Do your dogs wear shoes?
No, my husband would never let me put shoes on them...
What is your favorite shop?
Barney's and www.shopbop.com
What is your favorite drink?
Water and Prosecco
What is your favorite restaurant?
Pastis
What is your favorite NYC book?
The Devil Wears Prada
What is your favorite thing to do in NYC that you can do nowhere else?
Run along the Hudson River
What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
Underrated: Doing outdoorsy things in NYC.
Overrated: Pizza slices - I think they're better in Philly
What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
I am a minimalist at heart. For me less is more and I love open spaces and clean lines without any clutter.
Ran NYC marathon last Nov. and will be running again in Nov. 09
Also:
You can be a fan of Ruthie Davis on Facebook at : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ruthie-Davis/95241384438?ref=ts
I have a blog at: http://ruthiedavis.blogspot.com/
How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
They can contact me by sending an e-mail to "intern@ruthiedavis.com"
