Rupert Sanderson. A name not known for the shoeing the fleeting glamour of the red carpet. He is instead renowned for unparalleled artistry and a true love for the craftsmanship of shoe-making. Not one to grovel at the feet of Hollywood starlets, he was more excited at the prospect of ...

What's a fashion biography without a 'small' SEC investigation, some boiler-room style investment practices and jail time in a federal prison?! For most, this combination would lead to the utter personal and professional demise and dismissal from almost any business world, including fashion.  Steve Madden however, managed to turn monumental business ...

This native Algerian designer was born with the full name Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent. Born the oldest child to a descendent of Baron Mathieu de Mauvieres (who just happened to officiate at Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine's wedding) as well as the son of a very fashionable Belgium and Spanish ...

It’s 1907 in Bonito, Italy.  You’re nine years old.  What do you with your free time?  Most children, one would guess, would play street ball with their friends or perhaps tag along with their older brothers and chase girls. Not Salvatore Ferragamo.  At age 9, he made his first pair of ...

My daily walk through midtown Manhattan offers an assault on the eyes from assembly line-style shoes at every street corner. A quick glance to the left and I'm blinded by formulaic faux-cheetah print pumps for $9.99. A head whip to the right and I am inundated by ...

Marc JacobsIn the past couture design rarely has had an American face to it. We always think of Paris, Milan and London as the origins of inspiration. So, shocking as it may be, one of the most prolific and ingenious designers today hails from Teaneck, New Jersey. That's right, Marc ...

Her boots were made for walking. Sassy, innovative, take-no-prisoners walking. The late designer Beth Levine was known to not only tell Helmut Liang her thoughts on his designs but to also pose some harsh questions for Gianni Versace. So who was this gutsy gal known as the First Lady of American ...

Mix these ingredients: Mime, political science and leather goods. What would you get? A stand-up NYC comic perhaps? How about a politically savvy shoe-shiner? Instead, this turned out to be a recipe for a world-renowned fashion designer named Miuccia Prada. Born in Milan in 1949 with the name Maria Bianchi, ...

Christian Louboutin. Far from a pop culture icon or fleeting Hollywood darling, this couture designer is the essence of inspired footwear. Born a Parisian in 1963, Christian Louboutin grew up heavily influenced from a natural source, like that of his three sisters. However, the first true lightening bolt came in 1976, ...

"I've always believed that a beautiful shoe is useless unless it feels as wonderful as it looks." (source) Imagine that. A creator of extraordinary footwear, Stuart Weitzman, simultaneously comforts our feet on practical ground while satisfying our dreams with heavenly creations. Surely, a man with such talent would have been spurred ...