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Ruthie Davis: The Shoe Connoisseur
Interview & Words Bethany Boyo
Founder, designer and president of her luxury namesake shoe brand Ruthie Davis worn by celebrities spanning from Jeannie Mai, Cardi B, Logan Browning, Saweetie, Catt Sadler, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Angela Bassett, the celebrity shoe designer sits down to speak with WOTC about where it all started, why shoes are her passion and her journey to the present.
Speaking to Ruthie Davis via Zoom, she is in her holiday home in Philadelphia. She kicks off the interview with a joke saying, “I’m a city girl and unlike my other NYC friends who have weekend homes in upstate NY or the Hamptons, I have a weekend home in another city, Philly. Who has a weekend home in Philly if you live in NY?!” I can tell right away she’s going to be easy going and fun to interview. She’s at her work desk surrounded by her amazing works of art heels. We start the conversation with her sharing about her childhood, growing up the smallest and getting her sisters hand-me-downs.
Ruthie had always had passion for shoes, from her youth she loved the way shoes made her feel empowered “Growing up I was the smallest, so I asked my sisters to buy me my first platform heels and they got me the one with the smallest platform. Putting them on I felt so tall and powerful like I was on the same level as everyone else.” She started her journey in the business side of fashion, working for renowned sportswear brand reebok as the Director for their Reebok Classic division. She took a consumer-focused stance at the company transforming its iconic sneakers into well sought-after wardrobe staples. Her mantra of “making brands fashionable” landed her the opportunity of being the first Vice President of Marketing and design for UGGS. Taking their practical ethics and transforming it into a fashionable brand that attracted a wider consumer market. She then went on to work for luxury brand Tommy Hilfiger, having launched Tommy Girls shoes, she began to realise that it was time for her to make shoes not market them. “One day Tommy turns to me and says do you want to work for Tommy Hilfiger, or do you want to be Tommy Hilfiger?” Thus, Ruthie Davis shoe connoisseur was born.
Launched in 2006, Ruthie’s main goal was to build a brand with a strong brand DNA, not to sell a shoe. The brand has been thriving since and has grown into a household name worn by a wide variety of celebrities such as: Beyonce, Zendaya, Billy Porter, Lady Gaga and many more. Seeking to empower women through footwear, the brand caters for women from every walk of life creating shoes that fuses high tech from sneakers and high fashion from heels to form a hybrid type of heels that exudes sexiness and promotes comfortability. The award-winning brand is well known in the entertainment industry “Shoes are powerful and I want the celebrities and customers who wear my shoes to feel powerful.” Taking inspiration from the princess books for the Ruthie Davis x Disney collaborations the brand brought a fierce elegance to the looks for the Beauty and the Beast and more recently the Mulan collection. “I wanted to bring that Ruthie Davis flare that people want to those Disney looks, especially with the Mulan collection. It’s all about being empowered, she’s a warrior and the shoes represent that.”
Expanding beyond fashion Ruthie is also a fashion expert to many media outlets such as E! Television, Bloomberg and Fox News etc. Speaking on trends and what the consumer wants is second nature to Ruthie, “When I’m designing, I put myself into my customers shoes, I ask myself what I would want to wear and then I make it!” It comes as no surprise that her expertise has garnered her seats on various university boards and fashion organizations like the University of Delaware’s Arts & Science’s Fashion Advisory Board. She shares with me that she mentors and speaks to university students and up and coming designers and her advice is always the same “Have a really big idea that you can articulate
and that people will grasp.” She reflects back on her journey up to where she is now and expresses the importance of being able to say yes to opportunities when starting out ‘Be a Yes person that comes from experience, meaning internships and jobs. It may not be the best job but you can make it perfect!”
Reflecting on these words, they resonate deeply. Especially in a season where so much is uncertain and it may be easy to put away dreams and plans for the future, Ruthie Davis emulates what it means to be resilient to know what you want and to fight for it. In a male predominated industry that can be ruthless and even more unpredictable amidst a global pandemic. She has managed to thrive and even overtake some of her peers, giving her the well-deserved title of ‘Shoe Connoisseur.’