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!
Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Tricia spent her summers running around barefoot with her sisters and brother. 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. After 20+ years at the helm as C. Elf. O, Softstar proudly transitioned to employee-owned, and Tricia became the C.F.O. at Softstar. She is a frequent expert panelist for both e-commerce and entrepreneurship conferences.
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