How Larroudé Became Instagram's It-Girl Shoe Brand

You've probably seen these pasted on your Instagram feed or on the heels of your favorite influencers: chunky platforms, high boots, and bold patterned mules ranging from gingham to daisy, in playful silhouettes and vibrant shades like fuchsia and metallic silver. The brand? Larroude. Over the past couple of years, '70s-influenced shoes have quietly taken over the fashion industry, thanks in large part to their luxurious appeal at a rather accessible price.

But Larroudé might not have seen the light of day in the same way had it not been for some unfortunate circumstances. A month into the pandemic, its eponymous founder, Marina Larroudé, and her husband, Ricardo, both lost their jobs. As they found themselves cooped up with their children trying to figure out their next move, Marina, a fashion industry veteran who had previously held positions at Barneys, Teen Vogue and Style. com, focused on launching a line of shoes. It was something that had been on his mind for years. "Honestly, I remember reading a story about Tory Burch and how she started [her line] right after having twins. She was home, and that's when she had this aha moment to create her own brand and bring it to market. It was when she wasn't 'into it' that she could see it," Marina explains on Zoom, from Larroudé's office in Midtown Manhattan.

Marina finally felt it was her time. She first thought of designing private label shoes for Barneys, since she had done it at her last job, but some advice from her ex-colleagues to "create your own brand instead of trying to revive something" remained with him. In December 2020, Larroudé had officially launched, with Marina and Ricardo as co-founders - the former CCO, and the latter the CEO. “We did it all in six months,” she recalls. The team, which started with five people, now has 26 people, with an additional office in Brazil. In addition, Larroudé will open a factory there next month.

Marina Larroude.

Despite launching Larroudé during the pandemic, the designs weren't exactly suited to the languorous, doomsday vibe of the era. "We had few slides, but we didn't develop a collection for the COVID era, nor for containment," she admits. "We have created a brand for the long term." The Larroudés wanted to present "a whimsical brand" that pedaled high-end...