Three Women Building the Future of Footwear

After spending much of her career in Silicon Valley finance, Erika Carrero saw an opportunity to create a more comfortable heel. She traveled to Milan to study shoemaking, eventually launching Elizée, a luxury footwear brand that combines Italian craftsmanship and design with a Triple-Layer Comfort Insole engineered for comfort.

In a crowded market, one of Erika’s biggest challenges has been reaching new customers and standing out among established designer brands. Elizée focuses on communicating what makes the brand distinctive: craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and comfort. Erika has also learned the importance of taking a hands-on approach to shaping her brand’s identity and vision.

Her advice: “A strong product is the foundation of any successful brand, and it needs to bring something special to the market, whether through design or, in my case, comfort without compromising design. I’d also advise knowing your customer, understanding your numbers, and learning as much as you can about how your product is made. And surround yourself with people who have expertise you don’t. I’ve learned so much from everyone I’ve met along the way.”

As a high-schooler, Jolie Lanae Wyatt struggled to find dress shoes that fit her size 16 feet. She turned to men’s footwear as an imperfect solution, until a fall down the stairs left her unable to walk for more than two years. Her experience helped shape the vision for If The Shoe Fits (ITSF), her new footwear venture that uses foot scanning and additive manufacturing to create shoes tailored to individual foot geometry.

Like many new founders, Jolie faced challenges finding the right, cost-effective production method to achieve her goals. After exploring traditional manufacturing options, she turned to print-on-demand production, which reduces the need for large inventory and uses scan data for a more personalized fit. She pursued funding through pitch competitions and engaged with accelerators and entrepreneurial communities while working to retain ownership of her business.

Along the way, Jolie has recognized the power of tapping her newfound community of customers, manufacturers, and industry peers for feedback and advice. As she put it, “This industry was founded on shoe people helping shoe people, and I’ve found that to be true.”

Her advice: “Start with a problem you understand deeply, and don’t dismiss it just because people have learned to live with it. Women are often expected to accept discomfort as the price of wearing stylish shoes, but that doesn’t mean the problem isn’t worth solving. Take action quickly, because the faster you try something, the faster you learn.”

Maritza Berger created Maritza Marie to help women fall in love with wearing heels again. After working in corporate roles, she struggled to find shoes that were both comfortable and stylish. Drawing on her experience in sales, technology, and robotics, along with her studies in apparel design and business, she set out to fill that gap in the footwear market.

Her journey led her to Portugal, which she ultimately chose as her manufacturing home. Building a brand from the ground up brought challenges, but Maritza learned to be resourceful, adapt to changing circumstances, and embrace learning along the way. Listening to customer feedback and surrounding herself with people who believe in her mission has also been critical to growing and evolving her brand.

Her advice: “Build relationships early, attend trade shows, ask questions, and surround yourself with people who can help you navigate the areas you're still learning. Be thoughtful about where you invest your money and remember that you don't need to have everything figured out before you begin. Most importantly, believe in your vision, stay open to unexpected opportunities, and don't let what you haven't done before convince you that you can't do it.”