When Tamara Mellon founded Jimmy Choo in 1996, men’s names controlled much of the premium women’s shoe labels. But Mellon sought to change the status quo, which is exactly what she’s done with her designer clothing brand.
Mellon hopes to empower women, whether they be her female employees or her customers, with her company, which has just raised $24 million to further expand.
“As a woman designing for women, I feel their pain literally on a daily basis,” Mellon tells CNBC’s “Make It.” “If you think about it, most shoe designers are men, so they don’t really know what it feels like. So I think a lot of shoes are designed for shelf appeal, without actually knowing how women feel in them. So what I do, is I do all the fit trials myself.”
Mellon has shared her plans to further empower women by leading by example, specifically when closing the pay gap between men and women.
“I think we’re braver, I don’t believe brands should be silent anymore… What we do internally also resonates with what the customer wants,” Mellon says.
For more news and strategy, visit our current affairs category.