A Distinctive Aesthetic – Interview with Mary Alice Malone, founder and creative director of Malone Souliers

A DISTINCTIVE AESTHETIC

Malone Souliers makes shoes that challenge convention. Founder and creative director, Mary Alice Malone, tells us how her designs celebrate artisanal techniques with unexpected details

IMAGES: SUPPLIED WORDS: NICOLE LITTLE

I get inspired by what is around me, whom I meet, past travels, and I listen very carefully to our consumers. Malone Souliers represents a new era of craftsmanship – what are the challenges in bringing a heritage technique to What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, a new age? Most of the your morning routine? Right after waking up, factories we work with I let the pups, chickens, and goats out. Then, I are family businesses, make myself a coffee with MCT oil and a splash so through our work we of creamer and I sit down to start my workday by also want to support the checking emails and messages. Since I’m in the families behind them, US, I’m five hours behind the UK so I start work who are passing on quickly to catch up with the rest of the team. I their heritage techniques also usually have meetings early in the morning, through the generations. it’s easier to focus before the babies wake up. Traditional practices are How does your background in psychology in- the foundations our deform your role as founder and creative director of signs blossom from so Malone Souliers? I want women to be comfort- we want to make sure able standing and I want them to have a natural that through Malone gait when they walk. Part of the beauty of high Souliers we can also heels is a woman in motion. Shoes, especially help legacy and crafthigh heels, change the way you present your- manship to live on. self, change your posture and consequently they change your psychology. I majored in this sub- “I strongly Do you notice any buying trends globally or within the GCC and which pieces consistently drive ject, so I spent and still spend a lot of time with my nose buried in books that explore the mind. believe it’s sales season after season? Styles from our classics collection perform well each season both Part of this is what inspires my collections. Did you start with a small team or build the business important globally and within the GCC. The Maureen in different heel heights and materials, the lacealone in the early days? I started with a small team. It’s impossible to start this kind of business and to hire up Alessandra, as well as more generally heeled mules, and silhouettes in neutral colours are aldo everything yourself. My first few hires were on the design team, it was important to have some- around your ways well received by our customers. You will soon open a store in Doha, Qatar at Place one who spoke Italian to communicate with our factories. I also had to on board someone to help weaknesses.” Vendôme, how do you scale without compromising on quality? At Malone Souliers we have a relicreate the structure of the business itself, and a able quality control and we do visits to our factoperson who had relationships with buyers to take ries and suppliers often, to check up on the work care of sales. Lastly, I had someone in accounts to collect all the num- they are doing. We also always gather and value feedback from our bers. I strongly believe it’s important to hire around your weaknesses. clients, always making sure that the look, quality, and comfort of What was the biggest pivot point of scaling the brand and how chal- our shoes are not compromised. We also make sure there is honest lenging was that? There was a point a few years ago where our sales and transparent communication with our team and our store sales, really took off and the business had to grow really fast! That can so any feedback can come to us directly. always be a tricky time in a business’ life, as it means being able to The Fashion Trust Arabia Awards are taking place on October 26th in meet growing demand while maintaining quality and expectation. Doha and you’re a member of the advisory board. What’s your ethos While challenging, it was a great thing to happen, and I was very on supporting young and up-and-coming designers? I have always fortunate to have already installed a fantastic team so growth was believed that talent needs to be supported, no matter what somesmooth as it could be. one’s background is. Fashion Trust Arabia is giving this opportunity You took a new design approach to footwear – how did this evolve? to young creatives in the MENA region, and that is why I am so I always look at the past, I based all of my creations on styles from honoured to be part of their board. the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, very iconic and timeless silhouettes that I What advice would you give to your younger self and what advice then rework with a distinctive aesthetic. would you give to anyone wanting to start a brand? Trust your gut, is What impact does your hands-on and zero-waste approach to mate- the advice I would give to my younger self. To someone who wants to rials and fabrics have on your products and the environment? When start a brand: work hard and trust your feelings. It is a rollercoaster designing I try my best to have a sustainable approach by choos- of emotions and there will always be ups and downs. But those downs ing deadstock fabric or archive materials from past collections when are the key moments where you can learn and make your brand better possible. For SS22, for example, we had the Re-edition capsule, en- and better. Also, it is very important to have a trusted, skilled team tirely made with archival leathers and fabric. who are open to being mentored but also able to mentor you. You’ve said when everyone is trying to be different, they somehow end This is The Pioneer Issue – what does being a pioneer mean to you? up being the same. What ensures Malone Souliers stands out season Being a pioneer means seeing opportunity where few else do and havafter season? I don’t base the creation of new collections on trends. ing the courage and grit to stick with it and to keep marching forward.