Five years ago, Jessica Rich created her luxury shoe brand, Jessica Rich Collection, which has taken off and become the the talk of the town — case in point: celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Megan Fox and Jennifer Lopez are big fans and wear the trendy and gorgeous heels while out and about.
Rich, who launched the first collection of shoes in 2017, always knew that she was destined to take over the fashion world. “I was labeled ‘Best Dressed’ in high school, and I didn’t even try! I tried to get away from fashion, but it still followed me,” the 38-year-old exclusively tells GRAZIA USA. “Fast forward to me moving to Los Angeles, and I started doing PR and marketing because I just had a really good connection to people that I had networked with.”
From there, she decided to go out on her own, and things quickly fell into place. The brunette beauty first was into clothing, but she realized that she had the perfect shoe in mind to design, which was the fancy stiletto — the footwear is stylish yet affordable and wearable.
“I was following the trend of the shoes at the time, and I noticed that Yeezy had clear backs and a couple of styles, so I was like, ‘This is the new wave,'” she recalls. “At the time, there were only two shoes that were clear on the market, and I just kind of thought about what clear designs I hadn’t seen. I Googled online, and there weren’t pumps. and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is definitely the one, I think people are going to love this,’ and that is how it happened!”
As for how she comes up with her designs, she says she “bases it on what I’d want to wear myself, and I know from the type of girl that I am, they’re in the same realm of style.”
After being in the business for some time, Rich understands her clientele and audience. “I know what she likes, I know she wants edgy shoes, she wants to be hot, she wants to stand out, but she also wants an affordable shoe. She is a mom, but she’s also a girlfriend, she can be a wife, she has to be super cute all of the time,” she notes.
“My mission with my shoes is that I want women to feel empowered, I want women to feel strong, I want women to feel like they can accomplish anything in my shoes,” she declares, adding that she came from “nothing” to running a successful business, and she hopes she can inspire others to pursue their dreams — no matter how big they may be.
“You can be anything you want, so wear Jessica Rich! It’s a statement piece, and with my shoes, you can accomplish anything!” she gushes.
On May 15, the Jessica Rich Collection turned 5 years old — but the fashion expert has a lot she still hopes to achieve.
“My goal for the next quarter is definitely being a creative director for other brands,” she shares. “I really want to branch out overseas – for example, try to get into stores like Harrods. I would love to live over in London as well and open a store in Europe.”
Rich wants others to understand that “you don’t need billions of dollars to start a brand,” as she only had $1,000 when she began Jessica Rich. “First thing is starting it and getting it going, that is the hardest part – just starting it for sure,” she says.
Ultimately, Rich is grateful that her designs are catching on and making people feel good about themselves.
“It means so much to me, and I have had a lot of people reach out to me and say that they are doing the same thing for themselves,” she says of being a powerful woman in business. “It just feels good to be an example for others, and I love people who ask questions, I love people who DM me and ask for advice. I get people in airports stopping me, and they are like ‘Oh, I have your shoes.’ It just feels really surreal.”
For more information on Jessica Rich’s shoes, click here.
