made you look

handmade in the u.s.a.

Luxury designer Calleen Cordero embraces her West Coast roots, offering an eclectic array of styles each season. By Leslie Shiers
At age 17, my Friday nights were spent studying every angle of my shoes, confesses Calleen Cordero, who at that point had already been working at a high-end footwear boutique for two years. The architecture, the balance of footwear has always been fascinating to me. That appreciation sparked a career that has carried her through virtually every aspect of the biz, from consulting to shoe modeling to store management. When Fred Segal came calling, Cordero relocated from San Francisco to Los Angeles but wouldnt accept their management position, preferring to work the floor of the Melrose Avenue store herself. Cordero got her first hands-on shoemaking experience when working with designer Jim Barnier on the revitalization of a domestic brand. But in the 70s, U.S. manufacturing began to crumble. California used to be thriving, Cordero attests, noting she watched factory after factory close its doors. By 1992, she had entered wholesaling, representing brands like Kenneth Cole and Dr. Martens. After a stint at Steve Madden, Cordero began imagining her own name on a shoe box. I knew I needed to either get out of the business or start my own, she says, noting a studded, vintage belt sparked her first design idea. As fate would have it, several Lebanese shoemakers still called California home, and Cordero found one who believed in her. Inheriting a fully trained staff of 25 from a man exiting the field, Cordero set to work. In 2001, her team unveiled the Calleen Cordero collectiona handmade luxury line with a range that can accommodate virtually every womans taste. From sexy to funky to bohemian, I design all over the board, Cordero says. Most of Corderos shoes feature the hand-carved wooden soles California manufacturers had been known for, and while imitators have tried, Nobody out there can do the woods like Ive done, she asserts. The artisanal styles, which range in price from roughly $300 to $900, are a favorite of celebs such as Rene Zellweger. Cordero is also committed to eco- and socially conscious production, which she can oversee firsthand every day. Five years ago, she opened a Calleen Cordero store in L.A. to showcase her varied range, and its interiors were built out of locally sourced wood and materials, just like her shoes. Keeping her factory staff busy can be a challenge, Cordero says, which is why shes constantly working on something new to offer. Lately, Cordero is seeing a void in classic shapes, and thus clean and simple (but not conservative) looks are on the drawing board. At the same time, expect to see her current obsessionprecious stones like turquoise and jadeto land on other styles. As Cordero says, You can get away with a really simple outfit when youre wearing a fantastic pair of shoes.

California Dreamin

From top: Calleen Cordero; the factorys artisanal manufacturing process; a recent ad and boot design; Corderos Los Angeles boutique.

40 footwearplusmagazine.com june 2010