Ruthie Davis

Photo by Emma Blau

The recent fascination with hard-edged, glam rock looks is not lost on DAVIS by Ruthie Davis designer Ruthie Davis. When she launched her own luxury footwear collection in spring ’06, she did so with an eye toward using industrial materials more often found in architecture than footwear. Given her eclectic background, it’s not surprising Davis thinks outside the box. She’s earned an MBA in entrepreneurship and worked for the likes of UGG Australia, Reebok and Tommy Hilfiger. “I always knew I wanted to do my own brand,” Davis tells WSAToday.com. “I always try to do new things.” We sat down with Davis to find out what other new things she has in the works in this extended, exclusive interview previously published in the July issue of WSAToday.

Tell us about your spring ’09 collection.
Pop Art is the theme for spring/summer ’09. The platforms are higher, the colors more electric. The shoes have clean, modern and architectural lines, but with a colorful and playful attitude. Modern minimalism—a feeling of very light and thin (hence transparent) and lots of white and iridescent—like lights shining through and creating lightning bolts of color. The line will feature candy colors (such as apple green, aqua, hot pink and lilac) that are girly, with a sporty twist. Materials like pearlized kidskin and patent, cobra glitter snake and neon rubber will be prevalent.

Designer sketch for spring '09

Any standout styles or colors?
I love neons. I always have. I don’t love color, per se, but neons, to me, are edgy and cool. My No. 1 shoe is the Stud, a flat.

Would you ever consider doing handbags?
Right now, I feel like things are going really well. I have a lot of great ideas for handbags. I want to really get my shoes established. I don’t like to add on too quickly. I’m planning a small collection of bags for spring ’09. It’s got to be bags that can stand on their own.

Or stores?
I design shoes as an accessory to an outfit. I dress very minimally, but the shoes are a ‘wow.’ I would love to do the whole outfit, though. I would love to do stores. When I expand, I want to do it very well, and I want each thing to stand alone. It has to be a concept that’s never been done before.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
The biggest challenge is meeting with the retailers and getting the shoes to look the way you want. Thankfully, we have a really good relationship with our factory in Italy, outside Bologna. [Working with retailers] was really a learning curve. I have a showroom in New York. I get a lot of exposure. I do a lot of my own sales. It was a case-by-case process. With some accounts, I would show up with a bag of shoes and just loiter. You did whatever you could.

Patio, continuing for spring '09

Is the euro-to-dollar ratio having an effect on your business?
No. My orders are doubled right now from last season. I raised my prices, and no one batted an eye. People have been really happy about the collection. They love these shoes, because they’re made like nothing else they’ve seen. It’s hard in the shoe business overall, though.

Who is the DAVIS by Ruthie Davis customer?
My shoes are really meant for someone like me—a city girl who’s really youthful and cool. For me, I don’t picture my shoes with an evening gown. I see them with skinny jeans. Even though they [the shoes] look really, really dressy, I see them with jeans.

Sketch of the Pop style

What’s your take on women’s footwear trends right now?
I think [the industry] shouldn’t get saturated with the ballerina flat with the bulbous toe. That needs to evolve. My toe is a little sleeker. The ballerina thing is going to get a little stale, and it needs to evolve. I think the crazy high platforms are going to start to subside right now, too. I think that when it first started it was the idea of doing something crazy for the sake of doing crazy. It’s not wearable. They’ve gone too far. Just making a shoe for the sake of making something look different is bad.

What other designers do you admire?
I love a lot of the super brands. I love Balenciaga. I love Pierre Hardy. Each season is different. I like Lanvin.

Strap

If you could change something about the industry, what would it be and why?
I’m all for change but I don’t think it has to be a complete overhaul each season. In my mind, I design two groups a year. I think it’s too much to expect people to churn this out all the time. It’s too fast. I don’t know where this pressure is coming from. I am doing it my way. It’s two collections a year, and I don’t throw the baby out with the water every time. 

Come view Ruthie Davis's spring '09 line firsthand in Las Vegas at The Collections at WSA July 28-31.

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