3 Amazingly Dope Black Female Shoe Designers To Know

When it comes to fashion, and shoes in particular, The Culture is often the trendsetter for the rest of the world. But on the creation side, the fashion industry is a white male-dominated landscape, even with women’s shoes. But these three creators for The Culture are trying to change that, creating high-end, luxury, stylish shoes for black women by black women. So check out our list of three amazingly dope black women shoe designers you need to know. #GetFamiliar

Ade Samuel

Ade Samuel is a magazine intern-turned-celebrity stylist-turned black female shoe designer. The Bronx-raised daughter of Nigerian immigrants got her start assisting fashion editors at Teen Vogue and W magazines before training with stylists Cher Coulter and Simone Harouche. She has styled Grown-ish teen star Yara Shahidi, rapper Big Sean, and singers Jhené Aiko and Kelly Rowland. She also worked behind the scenes on Beyoncé’s “Formation” video and styled the Black Panther cast for the March double-issue covers of Essence magazine. She launched her shoe label in 2016 and describes the line of high-end heels as “edgy but also sleek, classic and comfortable.” Designs include a pointed-toe pump reminiscent of spectators and a vampy black leather number with six buckled straps. Each pair is made in Italy, and they sell for $300 to $400 on her site, www.adesamuel.com. On the soles, you’ll find a small gold plaque bearing her name.

Aminah Abdul Jillil

Aminah is a shoe designer with an interesting story and journey into fashion. She started in LA as a professional dancer, performing with some of big names ranging from Britney Spears to Janet Jackson and used those experiences, and more importantly, those connections to branch out and achieve her true dream of being a shoe designer as Rihanna chose to wear one of her designs in “Where Have You Been” music video. The first shoe she designed was a sandal with a huge buckle strap around the ankle which was inspired from a belt she saw. She actually bought the belt and cut it up to make that pair of sandals and she was off to the shoe designing races from there. Aminah has a passion for art that comes out through her shoe designs and how her most iconic design is the bow pump. You can visit her site and check out her ultra-stylish designs here: https://aminahabduljillil.com.

Stella Maze

Founder and lead designer of the Stella Hues shoes collection, Maze’s brand is known for it’s “blue-bottomed” soles (that represent the color of the water in the Virgin Islands which are: royal blue, turquoise, and dark blue), wild prints and ultrafeminine aesthetic. Her brand fuses authentic Italian tradition with the exotic luxuries of the Virgin Islands, and a nod to classic British influence. The Caribbean born, New York raised designer is focused on fashionable high-end, bust most importantly, comfortable shoes for the everyday woman. This talented shoe designer first launched her collection during New York Fashion Week in September of 2014 and the brand has grown exponentially every year since and is a favorite of celebes like Tracee Ellis Ross. Her shoes are also made in Italy and you can visit her site and see all of her amazingly dope designs and maybe pick up a pair here: http://www.stellahues.com.