Shoe Salon

DESIGNERCHAT MARION AYONOTE

MAYBE IT WAS Marion Ayonote’s first shoerelated memory that planted the seeds to her becoming a successful designer. Specifically, the magenta pink stilettos that the, then 12 year old, “wore everywhere” while attending boarding school until the day that one of the heels snapped. Ayonote loved the shoes so much that she tried to fix them—with a hammer and some bubble gum. (True story.)

Ayonote hammered the protruding nail back into the heel and glued the shoe back together with the gum. She flew home in her beloved pink heels, but as she got off the plane, she noticed her sister laughing uncontrollably. “Apparently, the bubble gum was all over my ankle,” she recalls. “It was so embarrassing. I limped to the car and knew I’d never wear them again.”

Fast forward to 2000 when the Cordwainers College alumnae launched her eponymous label and, in the two decades since, has built a strong following. Those fans include what Ayonote describes as HNW (high net worth) women, some of whom happen to also be celebrities such as Tyra Banks, Keri Hilson, Gabrielle Union, Kelly Clarkson, Ashanti, Christina Milian and Lady Gaga’s stylist who bought the Conqueror boot for the Joanne tour.

Ayonote is known for her striking silhouettes, decorative detailing and playful design—all wearable and whimsical in equal measure. Asked about signature design elements and Ayonote answers, “Shape, form, balance and texture.” She adds, “The aqua sole, a raised tongue symbolic of a shield, unique heel shapes, trimmings and the finest quality leather available.”

Ayonote taps into her rich cultural heritage for design inspiration. That spans her childhood in Africa, extensive travel (including many flea markets along the way), an international education and being a patron of the arts. It is a potpourri of experience that the award-winning designer dips into each season for her Italian-crafted collections. For Autumn/Winter ’22, the overall theme is dressage. “Navy, crimson, black, brown, cream and gold,” Ayonote says of the season’s palette. “And suede, kidskin and metallics, pointed toe boots, square toe sandals and bespoke heel shapes.”

Who is the Marion Ayonote woman and what is she looking

for in her shoe purchases? She is sophisticated, digitally savvy and most importantly, selective about the brands she buys. She is intelligent, well-informed, favors authenticity and seeks the finest quality footwear.

Alegria Aetrex

Jambu

Cougar

ARE YOU PLUSHING?

Fuzzy slippers will be the envy of everyone.

In what way might your background be

an asset in the designer shoe world? I’m not entirely sure, but I get told my cultural heritage is an advantage to how I interpret my work. Nevertheless, I believe in creative freedom, the ability to absorb what’s around you or what you imagine something to be, and interpret it in a way your mind allows you to. In addition to form and function, there needs to be excitement.

Has the pandemic altered your approach to design? It’s tricky as I specialize in occasion footwear. However, I have expanded the range to include lounge loafers and slippers.

How was business this past year—the good, the challenges, the surprises?

The good: I had time to restrategize my future goals. The challenges: the aftermath of an 18-month lockdown and the knock-on effect for the plans we had set for 2020/21. The surprises: orders for the more expensive handbags and some very exciting opportunities for the brand moving forward. I’m cautiously optimistic about 2022 and our plan for scaling up.

What was the best piece of design advice

you’ve ever received? A very famous shoe designer, who acted as a mentor, advised me to focus on my work, not draw attention to self and not look at what others are doing.

Who are some designers you admire? Golly, there are quite a few. I think Roland Mouret is brilliant, Phoebe Philo, Manolo Blahnik, of course, and an amazing Nigerian designer, Deola Sagoe. They all have one thing in common: authenticity!

What is the perfect shoe? A perfectly crafted, almond toe stiletto.

What shoe must every woman have in

her closet? A perfectly crafted, almond toe stiletto, or our Conqueror boot.

What shoe style needs to die now? LOL! Badly crafted platforms with shiny patent uppers. Hideous.

What do you love most about designing

shoes? The reaction I get from those who make them and those who want them.

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the company about improving diversity in their product cycle and mentioned his plans to reopen an HBCU in Detroit. The retailer offered to contribute funds, and is now a founding partner. “They immediately understood the importance of what this could mean for our industry,” Edwards says. That support led to the partnership with CCS, an established design school that offers larger infrastructure and guidance.

Still there have been hurdles. For starters, the HBCU had been closed for eight years, so it needed to be accredited. That required creating a bill, because there were no laws in Michigan that allowed a college that had closed to reopen. Also, the state had never officially recognized Lewis College of Business as an HBCU. That meant another bill. “In two months, we wrote and got two legislative bills passed,” Edwards says. “That’s lightning-quick.”

Edwards attributes the expediency in making PLC a reality to its importance to Michigan and the design industries. Seeing it all come together is a dream come true, he says. “We’re officially recognized as an HBCU. The Gilbert Family Foundation and Target have blessed us with a huge jump start to get to this point along with CCS. Without them, none of this would be happening.”

SCENE 6: BRIGHT FUTURE

6PLC’s first class is this May, sponsored by Carhartt, a Detroit brand. Additional five-week classes on the docket this year are sponsored by New Balance, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Adidas, J. Crew, Proctor & Gamble and a Nike program with Serena Williams. “We’ll create a semester program starting this fall, where kids who live nearby can take classes one day a week,” Edwards says. “In the fall of ’23, we’ll start working toward our own degree program and begin to add majors like furniture and automotive design, packaging and graphics.”

PLC will initially be housed in the CCS building. Foot Locker is funding the footwear samples room. Hanes is building the apparel samples room. Herman Miller is providing furniture for the main studio. “We have amazing partners that believe in the vision of what PLC will be for our industry,” Edwards says, adding that students will stay in the St. Regis Hotel until dormitories are built on a new campus.

The fact that PLC has gotten this far, this fast defies the odds. Never in Edwards’ wildest dreams, as a poor kid in Inglewood, did he foresee this wonderful life unfolding. “That’s why I’m so grateful every day,” he says. “I feel like I’m winning every day, because I’m not supposed to be here.”

NPD industry analyst Matt Powell, says the reason Edwards is here starts with his tremendous design talent. “There are few sneaker designers who have shoes available for as long as Dr. Edwards has; his legacy speaks for itself,” he says, noting that his efforts to help people of color adds to that legacy. “This latest venture will solidify his work.”

PLC is just the latest chapter in Edwards’ odds-defying career. He’s creating an incredible industry legacy, and there’s much more to come. Not bad for the former mailroom guy at LA Gear. “Seeing what Mr. D’Wayne has accomplished, inspiring would be a harsh understatement,” his former student Johnson says. “D’Wayne is a revolutionary icon living in today’s time. My hope is that people recognize the great, selfless work he is doing to elevate aspirational creatives—more importantly, aspirational creatives of color. I am extremely blessed and proud to call myself a protégé of one of the greatest men of our time.”

High praise, indeed. Then again, it’s not every day someone changes an entire industry in a way that benefits everyone involved. “When I left Jordan I wrote down three things,” Edwards says. “One, make people forget I ever designed shoes, because if do, then I did something really good on the other side. Two, design the school that I wish I’d been able to attend and I’d hire from. Three, leave this industry way better than when I entered it.

“That’s been my journey the whole time,” Edwards says, noting he has only one regret. “I would love to sit down again with my two brothers, Michael and Ronnie, because they were the ones who taught me how to draw. I’m having the career that they didn’t have a chance to have.” Edwards adds, “It’s been an unexpected life that I’ve been blessed to have. And I’m not done yet.” •