THURSDAY SHOE ♥ JEROME C. ROUSSEAU INTERVIEW ♥

Shoes. Need I say more? What is it about shoes that makes every girl, and boy, swoon endlessly and fork over two-months rent for a pair of things we put on our feet? Do we admit we all do secretly have a foot fetish? Why don't more people learn how to make shoes? How many genuinely amazing new shoe designers do we hear of per year? I'd say not too many. OR not too many that will survive the test of time. That's why I was so fascinated when I met Jerome C. Rousseau. And if you could see the night I met him, you'd think I was literally in a dream. It was a few years ago (already, which is hard to believe) in Santa Barbara. I was invited to a benefit photography exhibit by friend and amazing photographer Danielle Rubi. She's the kind of girl who flocks with a really cool crowd. Always. The most stylish and interesting pick of people were roaming the estate that day and, at night, a few made their way into the kitchen before heading to a local bar. I was feeling a little shy. I only knew Danielle. But I did notice a couple of people across the room looking at...my feet. One of them was Jerome I found out, after he made his way over to check out my shoes. "They're just really simple vintage Charles Jourdans," I said. To which he replied, "Oh no...they're not simple at all." From 10 feet away, he could see the subtle details of my "simple" white French pumps. Even if they were only peeking out of my flared jean hem. It was pretty fascinating. I was won.

After that, we all ended up in the driveway, with Jerome lining up samples for his girlfriends to choose from. CAN YOU IMAGINE? And, being as nice as he is, he actually walked over and gave me a pair of lovely strappy heels with mink pom-poms. It was, needless to say, surreal. Since then he's just absolutely blown up...beyond...where every Hollywood pretty is red-carpeting his shoes. It's nice to see. Because after you've seen his shoes (if you haven't already), you will fall in love, too.  Jerome is so genuinely lovely, he's answered some questions for me...have a look-see!

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST FASHION SHOE MEMORY? AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DESIGN WOMENS SHOES?

As a young teenager in Quebec, I came across a band called Deee-Lite. They were wearing wild footwear and I started drawing these shoes in art classes. Drawing shoes became something I wanted to do all the time, and after researching the history of shoes it evolved into a strong passion. I ended up moving to London to study at Cordwainers College, which turned out to be the start of a brilliant journey for me. 

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO GO SOLO?

I decided to launch my label more or less when I turned 30.  It was something I had contemplated for many years and I was waiting for the right timing to do it.  It's an exciting project to launch a luxury footwear label and I took the time to reflect on exactly how I wanted to do it.  The label launched with the Fall 2008 collection.

saucy in black...

or red. i love both!

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A SHOE DESIGNER?  WHAT'S IT LIKE TO KNOW MILLIONS OF WOMEN ARE DYING OVER YOUR HEELS?

I'm very passionate about my work, and I think it's this passion and love for design and for shoes that I like the most.  I'm having a really fun and exciting time working on my label and things have taken off very well.  I love channeling my creativity into designing fun and distinctive shoes.  It's quite a nice feeling to know that a lot of women love the label and love to wear the shoes!  But I try not to let that go to my head and I stay focused on designing a strong collection each season.

 

TELL ME ABOUT THE GREEN BLING HEEL THAT I'M IN LOVE WITH? I CALL THEM THE EMERALD SLIPPERS...
Oh this is a fantastic style.  A lot of women wanted to kill each other for the exclusive pairs we did of this style!  A few friends of mine are obsessed with this shoe.  This style is called Aizza, it's a killer stiletto pump with a very strong silhouette :  the exaggerated curve at the back of the shoe, the sharp heel and the narrow squared-off toe shape create a very modern silhouette.  The material is amazing, it's a sort of textured glitter in the brightest, most dangerous shade of green.  It's almost poisonous as a colour.  Both women and men have reacted very emotionally to this style.

nude silk! LOVE this shape! insanely sexy color! sigh.

this style also comes in silver!

WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING UP THAT WE SHOULD LOOK FORWARD TO?
The label has interesting collaborations ahead, including another brilliant film collaboration at the end of 2010 that I am not allowed to reveal just yet, but it’s another project that I am most excited about. The style I have designed for this looks incredible, it is one of my favourite shoes I have done.  From a product point of view, my Spring 2011 collection is inspired by Keith Haring and Grace Jones, with elements of tribal and disco mixed into it.  As the collection grows I am very interested in looking into other accessories: bags, mens footwear, even sunglasses.

these are my favorite. i already told him i have to own these! i call them the emerald slippers...the green bling!

equally gorgeous in black.

ANYTHING ELSE? WHERE CAN THEY PURCHASE THE SHOES? WHAT SHOES DO YOU WEAR YOURSELF? DO YOU WANT TO DO MENS, TOO?

The collection is available at Barneys, Saks, Saks online, Diavolina, Harvey Nichols, Le Bon Marche etc.  Fans of the collection can see a list of selected stores on the website, but also email us to find out which retailer is the nearest to them.

I have a few favourite mens footwear labels that I wear all the time: George Esquivel, Buddhahood, Swear and Ken Diamond. (I'd love to do mens shoes, as answered in question number 5!)

I'M SURE THEY'LL LOVE IT WHEN YOU DO MENS, TOO! ♡

i see this as a good Heidi boot

and a sparkly schoolgirl!

more shoe me thursday ♥ gimme texture 

images of shoes courtesy of Jerome C. Rousseau

photo of Jerome by Nancy Neil