New boots on the block
Designer delivers cool footwear at an accessible price point
Q When and why did you start Cartel Footwear? A Cartel was conceptualized more or less a year ago, with a pretty basic concept — to provide fashionable product using quality materials, at a price point that allows the final product to be accessible. Our first line (Autumn/Winter 15) has been in stores just over two months now. Q Did you have a background in footwear design? A I had the opportunity to work in a globally manufactured and distributed company before Cartel. This provided me with a wealth of access to the ups and downs of working with — and in — countries such as Italy, Portugal, China, India and Mexico. This type of first-hand access coupled with years of working on and alongside such a varying product line helped me to build a very clear vision of what I feel is right for Cartel — not only in quality but also esthetic. Q What inspires your collections? A This is something I never really think about throughout the creative process, largely because I wanted to do a brand directly inspired by my personal tastes. When I look back on where I draw inspiration from on a day-to-day basis, it’s very broad. It can be anything from the record I listened to when I woke up, to the Western movie I watched the night before. Q You boast a background in the music industry. How has this impacted your design? A I think of it more as existing in music outside the “industry” in the traditional sense. I worked for years in my hometown’s only independent record store, serving a range of vinylcentric collectors from punk rockers to jazz aficionados. This led to me promoting local punk rock shows and touring around North America with friends’ bands. In retrospect, these years of couch surfing and punk venues provided me with very honest access to counter culture and the effect fashion can have — be it extreme or otherwise — on the way you want to be perceived. Q Who do you design for? Is there a target customer? A When the project started we thought we had this all figured out, but I feel like every day I’m surprised by the reactions we’re getting from people that would have at one point been considered outside “our demographic.” I feel like because we lean toward a fairly timeless esthetic we’re not limiting ourselves to a specific clientele. Q What is the price point for Cartel designs? A Cartel product in stores is priced around $200-$250, but this is not to say in the future we will not include both higher or lower priced items. Q Where are your shoes designed and made? A Everything is being designed in Montreal and our current styles are made in Mexico. Having had the opportunity to work in partnership with many footwear-producing countries, you come to learn the strengths of each area, and Mexico just had the right feel for this product. Q What are your ambitions for Cartel Footwear? A At this point it’s still all very new, so I feel it could go off in any number of directions. The important thing for Cartel is that we maintain our values, both esthetic and otherwise, and live up to our potential.