Though Carol De Leon has a background in international marketing, her marriage to an Italian shoe designer propelled her into the world of fashion. 

Devani designer Carol De Leon

“I got my formal training working in Italian factories for 12 years,” she says. “But with the way the economy changed after the euro, it’s made more sense to make shoes in China, and we’ve done it for three years.” As designer for Devani, De Leon has been driven to bring a European standard to Chinese-made product. “We use Italian materials, and you can see that these shoes are competitive with anything being made in Italy.” Here, De Leon offers her take on her latest styles in an exclusive, extended interview previously published in the May issue of WSAToday.

Describe your new fall ’09 collection.
I tried to make my collection as fun and entertaining as possible. I looked to a lot of ornamentation and bright colors, even though it’s fall. I also took inspiration from music icons, like Michael Jackson. For example, Danika features a metal mesh that reminded me of the glove he rocked in his performances.

Is there a standout style?
Command is one of my favorites. It has a studded heel and a wide belt; it’s a rock ’n’ roll shoe. I also have a shoe called Elle, a pointy pump, which has bright colored upper [with a brocade lace overlay] that reminds me of Madonna during the “Like A Virgin” days. I grew up with ’80s rock, and I think that silhouette is still really in right now for fall.

What trends are hot right now?
There’s enough negativity in the market right now, we don’t have to dress that way. We should push things that are different and that jump out at a person when they’re shopping. I’ve been using different materials on shoes that maybe other people haven’t used before. On Amanda, I featured a material that looks like metallic tubing, then strung bullets through it, which move a little when you walk. It’s entertainment and movement captured in a shoe.

Danika

What materials and colors did you work with?
I’m still in the purple hues. I think they go great with grey, but the color pop that’s really uncommon and interesting for fall would be maize. I also worked with a bright fuchsia, juxtaposed with a lot of black. The metal mesh I used is also something that’s different. A lot of people use sequins for the same effect, but I wanted something stronger.

Describe your customer to us.
She is a bold and daring woman, confident. I would say she’s not limited by age. Because the price point of the shoes is affordable, the styles are not conservative.

How do you strengthen your relationships with buyers and retailers?
In the past, that was the sales team’s job, and they’d have that relationship. Now, buyers welcome a designer making a presentation. It just brings the collection to life. This is something that’s gone through a creative process, it’s not just manufactured. Buyers are under a lot of pressure and they’re scared to take risks, but when a designer makes the presentation, the buyer understands the aesthetics and it gives them to confidence to buy.

What trend is over?
I can’t see anything else patent, I swear. People are still putting it in the collections in different ways, but I’m so tired of it.

Command

What would you say is your niche?
I’m based in L.A., and we don’t have any rules in how we dress here so I’m able to take styling from Europe and different parts of the world mix them up. We do that, and it turns out looking fresh.

What’s next in women’s footwear?
I think that women’s footwear is looking for a comfort factor. Secretly, women do want comfort, and I think there are constructions we can come up with that are just as sexy, and no one else will even know they’re comfortable. If you get that right, you’re on the right track.

Which other designers do you admire?
I really admire Dries Van Noten. I speak Italian and I love Italian designers, but it gets too commercialized there with all the big advertising campaigns. Dries Van Noten just does what he wants.

What have been some of your biggest challenges in starting a footwear company and how did you overcome them?
I’m making the most beautiful shoes out of China, but there’s still that [reaction to] that people have to that. It’s a negative connotation. My biggest challenge is to break that. We have to learn to judge the product on its own qualities, the mano d’opera. That’s literally translated as the hand that makes it. And, if you see the quality of the shoe, it shouldn’t matter whose hand it is.

If you could change something about the industry, what would it be?
I wish that the buyers weren’t under so much pressure from their corporate people, that they could buy from the heart. A lot of them have their hands tied.

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