Meet the Designer
Gwen has been with Soft Star Shoes just a short 18 months - and taken the Elf workshop by storm designing both the RunAmoc Dash and Mary Jane styles. She is a bright and joyful presence in shop, with insatiable curiosity and an uncanny ability to take ideas from concept to prototype in an afternoon. Gwen started as a fashion designer with her own clothing line and successful company back in the 90s. Her most recent position prior to coming to Soft Star was the R&D Soft Goods Product Development Lead at Burley creating those amazing bike trailers.
Where are you from? "I am a third generation Oregonian, born in McMinnville, but I grew up in Sierra Leone, West Africa."
What are your favorite hobbies? "Anything to do with textiles, including sewing and knitting. I also enjoy backpacking trips and walking - I walk to work most days."
What was your most interesting job before joining the Soft Star elves? "It's hard to say, I had a lot of variety and liked so many jobs, including the Peace Corps in Guatemala, international development in Nepal, and owning my own design business."
What were the objectives of the Mary Jane design process? "The motto was to create a shoe we (the Elves) wanted to wear, an everyday, healthy shoe that everyone could wear to work and play in. It was a very collaborative project with input from customers and a lot of help from co-workers."
Most challenging aspect? "... making it adjustable to fit lots of different feet - wide, narrow, tall... as well as quick and easy to get on and off."
YOUTH sizes 1-5 will be available November 16, 2011!
ADULT sizes will be available December 8, 2011!
Trish has been an entrepreneur, marketer and maker ever since she crushed her first lemonade stand at age five. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, she spent many summers running barefoot with her sisters. These early memories later inspired her to build a brand which embraced the joy and freedom of childhood with the health and science of minimal footwear.
Trish relishes evolving the company to grow stronger and more competitive with each passing year. She is a frequent expert panelist for both e-commerce and entrepreneurship conferences. Trish enjoys spending time with her family, dogs and ducks on their property in Oregon and loves the proximity to both surf and snow. She has a background in Engineering Physics and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
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