Emerging designer Maile Schmidt has officially arrived on the footwear scene, thanks to her namesake brand’s colorful launch this month.
Schmidt specifically looked to the past while developing her line — and, in fact, she didn’t have to look far: the designer was largely inspired by her mother’s collection of high heels that she adored as a child.
“I became obsessed with my mom’s shoe closet when I was younger — she had the beautiful Miu Miu kitten heels, she had the prime of the ’90s-era heels,” Schmidt exclusively told Footwear News at her brand’s New York City launch party.
“That’s where I really grew up, just looking — and she would never let me wear her heels, so it was such a, ‘Oh my gosh, one day’ type of thing. I think in a way, that really influenced my aesthetic and design.”
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Schmidt also drew upon her experience designing footwear for brands including Revolve and Tory Burch when branching out to start her own line in 2021. The designer says the leadership her bosses — particularly Asian-American women — showed were key inspirations when working in-house, as well.
“I had a lot of pretty badass Asian-American bosses, women, and they were insanely something to look up to for me,” Schmidt said, speaking on AAPI representation in the design world. “It was very cool for my first boss to be just a badass Asian-American woman, balancing everything, and she taught me so much.”
Indeed, Schmidt’s selection of $295-$450 footwear features kitten-heeled mules, slip-on wedges and flat sandals in hues of red, white, mango and pale pink, accented by faux fur, thin bows and organic pearls.
The range — which wouldn’t be out of place on “Sex and the City,” or even trendy Bratz dolls — is oriented towards young Gen Z and millennial women like Schmidt herself, especially ones wanting shoes that can transition from day to night.
“She’s a city girl with an island heart,” Schmidt says of her customer. “She wants to be able to go from work to cocktail hour, and schlepping the New York streets in the heels. She’s fun, she’s sophisticated, but sexy — all of the feminine things that I think you can really see in the collection.”
As for the future, Schmidt is already looking ahead to designing her fall 2023 collection — and possibly a men’s line.
“The Maile brand is definitely going to be more spring-summer-focused. I want to keep that island heart going in the collections, so that’s where I’ll put a lot of my energy,” Schmidt says. “In terms of where I want it to go? It’s endless. Five-year plan is…I might want to dabble in a line for men, but we don’t know. I still have to conquer this.”
