Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz and Marina Larroudé are teaming up to give wedges a luxury twist.

In their debut collaboration, Deena and Larroudé have launched “The Radical Elegance” collection, featuring a wearable wedge and a ’90s-inspired pump. The color palette — red, olive green, creams, and carbon black — were selected by the two designers to conjure glamour and femininity.

Produced in Larroudé’s Brazil factory, the heel is also designed with a wrap-around ankle buckle, while the wedge is seen with a peep-toe, both are realized in soft suede, metallic leather, and textured leathers.

“One of the faces of our launch campaign back in 2020, Deena is a longtime friend and someone I deeply admire. It’s been an absolute dream to collaborate with her. Her taste is exquisite and she’s always impeccably dressed wearing high fashion in ways that feel uniquely unexpected — and our capsule delivers just that,” said Larroudé.

Abdulaziz, known as Princess Deena, is a Saudi-American entrepreneur and co-founder of the successful Riyadh-based concept store D’NA, which has since closed. She was also the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia. Most recently, she launched an editorial lifestyle website, titled Deenathe1st, and an accompanying podcast in June 2024.

“There is nothing glamorous about discomfort so this collection is wearable, durable, and designed to feel like one is walking on clouds,” said Abdulaziz. “There is a bigger story behind these stunning shoes we present to you: through our friendship, Marina and I show how beautiful things happen when women support women.”

The limited collection is available September 25 on Larroude.com and Deenathe1st.com with shipping worldwide. The shoes retail at $490.

Deena By Larroudé Pump in Red Suede

$490 Buy Now at larroudé

Deena By Larroudé Pump In Deep Olivine Suede

$490 Buy Now at larroudé

Deena By Larroudé Wedge Sandal In Gold Metallic Leather

$490 Buy Now at larroudé

Deena By Larroudé Wedge Sandal In Mushroom Grey Suede

$490 Buy Now at larroudé

Larroudé and Markarian have teamed up once again. Out Tuesday is their latest shoe collab featuring florals, brocades and fabrics from Markarian’s fall ’24 collection across a range of styles.

The collaboration follows their bridal capsule, which featured custom bridal satin sandal to complement Markarian’s wedding collection.

This time around the line offers a larger range filled with intricate boots, wedges, sandals, ballet flats, mules and more that took only six months to hit market. Materials used include floral dutel, black wool, suede and velvet complete with patchwork, embellishments and crystal adornments.

“Using beautiful Larroudé pieces in our fabrics, we designed ten styles including floral embroidered boots and flats and metallic brocade wedges capturing the elegance and whimsy of both brands. I could not be more proud or excited for the collection that we are presenting together,” said Markarian founder Alexandra O’Neill.

Added founder Marina Larroudé: “This partnership is about more than just fashion; it’s about celebrating our shared love for creativity, femininity, and beautiful designs.”

The line retails from $330 to $650 and is sold on both Markarian and Larroudé’s websites.

Larroudé x Markarian Boots in Red Patch Work Fabric

$650 Buy Now at Larroudé

Larroudé x Markarian Flats in Floral Wool and Black Embroidery

$330 Buy Now at Larroudé

Larroudé x Markarian Mules in Black Wool and Floral Embroidery

$350 Buy Now at Larroudé

Larroudé x Markarian Pumps in Black Wool and Floral Embroidery

$350 Buy Now at Larroudé

Larroudé x Markarian Wedge in Gold Floral Dutel

$350 Buy Now at Larroudé

Larroudé x Markarian Mules in Black Velvet and Heart Embroidery

$375 Buy Now at Larroudé

Larroudé x Markarian Sandals in Black Suede

$350 Buy Now at Larroudé

Looking to disrupt the industry, Larroudé is shifting its logistics strategy to prioritize efficiency, lessen its environmental impact and reduce cost.

After opening its own factory in Brazil last April, the company has been able to to facilitate faster production for its own direct-to-consumer channel (24 days from order to warehouse to be exact) as well as with its wholesale business. With that vertically integrated system in place, co-founder and CEO Ricardo Larroudé realized that the zig-zagging of products through multiple warehouses for its online wholesale partners was inefficient and environmentally harmful.

To combat that, the company is switching to what Larroudé is calling “direct-to-demand,” a new strategy where the company manages the whole supply chain themselves by concentrating all its stock in house. Similar to drop ship, Larroudé will now ship directly to customers as soon as an order is placed with their online wholesale accounts.

“Because [retailers] feel they can return or they can run discounts later on, they are addicted to overbuying. We want to sell everything that we produce. Now, the whole supply chain is connected. The idea is to have it all centralized, see what’s selling and then keep distributing,” explained Larroudé.

He added that internally, the company replenishes its own website 12 times a season, whereas their partners do it six times less.

“Now, this will be 30% less movement of goods. So a [partner’s] environmental impact will be [reduced],” noted Larroudé. “And they won’t have an inventory issue. They won’t be overstocked at the end of a season.”

With this marketplace-only model, Larroudé will continue to sell to stores for physical inventory but in a reduced amount.

“We don’t do a business that we send thousands of units somewhere and then they run a sale out of it,” added Marina Larroudé, the label’s chief creative officer and cofounder. “But for online, that’s where we’re going to do 100% of the fulfillment, and we will be checking their data and will be feeding the beast.”

For this transition to be complete, Larroudé needs to clear its current stock from wholesalers, allowing for a one-time-only sale across its partners on June 27. The brand is offering 50% off for the first time.

“We want to be a better brand,” said Larroudé. “You shouldn’t be overdoing something in one direction than trying to cut back. We’re willing to try to solve that problem.”

The company has racked up $30 million 
in sales in 2023, less than three years since launching. The goal is to reach half-a-million pairs in annual sales by 2025 and to “ramp up” to a million pairs sold a year within five years.

Most weekdays in May, Kaitlan Collins was camped out in lower Manhattan, shuffling between the courtroom where former President Donald Trump was on trial and her anchor desk just outside. The CNN star was back on air every evening — analyzing the day’s developments with a panel of colleagues and pundits for primetime coverage.

During a few hours of downtime one Wednesday, the 32-year-old Collins, camera-ready in a striking red Argent suit, arrived at PMC Studios just after 10 a.m. The journalist — whose sleek on-air style (she’s known for her black turtlenecks and bright blazers) has inspired fan accounts on social media — was eager to dive into an FN photo shoot and go behind the scenes of a different kind of story: the rise of New York footwear company Larroudé.

Marina Larroudé, the label’s chief creative officer and cofounder, had admired Collins from afar for years, impressed with her interview style and ascent at CNN. Never one to shy away from making new connections, the entrepreneur decided to DM the journalist and invite her to an International Women’s Day lunch in March. “Kaitlan was the first one there,” the businesswoman recalled. They immediately hit it off. “I give my friends Larroudé shoes as gifts now,” said Collins.

In some ways, the two New Yorkers have had parallel journeys — their tipping points came during the height of the pandemic.

After making a name for herself during the Trump presidency, the fearless reporter was named chief White House correspondent at CNN in early 2021. Two years later, after a brief stint on 
the morning show, she was in the anchor chair hosting her own primetime show, “The Source With Kaitlan Collins.” But the Alabama native’s path was anything but certain.

“A lot of people don’t know exactly what they want to do when they’re 22. I always tell them, ‘I didn’t either.’ I never thought I’d be a White House correspondent or anchor,” said Collins, who got her start at The Daily Caller.

Larroudé also remembered her humble beginnings in the fashion industry, “cleaning out closets” at magazine jobs. After a career that took her from Style.com and Teen Vogue to Barneys New York, Larroudé started her business with husband Ricardo out of their Manhattan home in 2020, when she found herself unemployed and in the house each day with two young children. “The most frightening part was not knowing when things were going to change,” she said.

But during a time when many independent designers have 
been closing their businesses or scaling them back, Larroudé defied the odds and became a success, racking up $30 million
in sales in 2023, less than three years in.

Meanwhile, Collins’ star continues to rise at CNN as the 2024 presidential election draws closer and the drama surrounding a Trump-Biden rematch ratchets up.

At a defining moment for both women, they sat down together to talk about how they got here, the inspiring women who came before them and why it’s important to make the most of every job.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Kaitlan Collins: “When I met you, what I was obsessed with was the story of how you started your brand and did so during such a challenging time, when so many of us were wrestling with this idea of what everyday life was looking like. You took that moment to strike out on your own.”

Marina Larroudé: “I lived through the 2008 crisis, and so when I was faced with the pandemic, I really looked at it and said, ‘This is the moment where I can do something for myself.’ I always had amazing dream jobs. But there was no plan B. I was home, unemployed, with two kids. And if it wasn’t during a time where all doors and windows were closed, I think I would have freelanced or reached out to my friends. It was all I could think about.”

KC: “That’s interesting. If you hadn’t had that set of circumstances, you might have just done something else.”

ML: “What I love the most is that both of our kids were very young at the time. The way they saw us and what it took to get the business [going], they saw it all. And for me, it was the biggest lesson that I could teach them.”

KC: “What is your advice for someone entering fashion? I think the industry can be daunting for a lot of people.”

ML: “It’s one of those industries where you have to work hard for many years. I recommend internships all throughout college. When you’re ready to hit the market, you have some experience. Be resourceful, reliable, available and make your boss’ life easier. You have to think ahead.”

KC: “I do think being a happy warrior is a great skill to have 
when you’re young and you’re working. If you’re the one who says ‘yes’ when other people are saying ‘no’ … I’ve missed a lot of 
Friday night dinners or bachelorette [parties], things that I wanted to do, but it’s a cost-benefit analysis. What’s going to get you 
where you want to be?”

ML: “I didn’t go to my best friend’s engagement party. At the time, I was an intern at Vogue Brazil. I had a photo shoot in Rio, and I knew it was an amazing opportunity. It’s about your priorities and how you want to shape your career. How did you become a White House correspondent?”

KC: “Just being in D.C., politics is by osmosis. You’re surrounded by it. It was during the 2016 election, which gripped the whole nation. Everyone was watching, everyone cared about politics. It wasn’t just for a certain group of nerdy people in Washington. But I always say that no matter what job you’re in or what industry you’re in, just take a job. Start somewhere. Your first job isn’t going to define you. You can learn something 
from any business that you’re in. I 
worked on a golf course in high school, and just interacting with these people who I had nothing in common with because I had never played a sport, it helped me and informed how I talk to people now — which is such a big part 
of my job. Even if you’re not in your dream job, it’s helpful for whenever 
you get there.”

ML: “I think it’s silly to think that you leave college and all of a sudden you’re going to get your dream job. I worked in retail, I worked as a fashion assistant cleaning out closets. I was an editor, I was in wholesale, I went to Barneys … so many things. Today, I do my own PR for the company. You need to get your hands dirty. I get some interns who tell me, ‘I don’t like this,’ and I’m like, you started three days ago. There are so many parts of the job you aren’t going to like. It 
takes a lot of hard work.”

KC: “I also think you can learn just as much from something you don’t like as something you do. A lot of how I 
conduct myself in interviews — or my style with my team — is things that I’ve learned from watching other people, sometimes good and sometimes bad. 
But you can draw from those experiences to make you better.”

ML: “Who have you learned from along the way?”

KC: “I’ve always been a big reader, 
and I love reading people’s biographies, from politicians to women journalists. I’m inspired by people who broke the mold and made it easier. I am reading a book on Barbara Walters right now. When she started, she had a male co-host who had to ask the first three questions in the interview before she could ask a question. Those things were real. It was in the contract.
Now it’s much easier to be a 
woman reporter. I have been in the [White House] briefing room when it was a lot of men in the front two rows. They announce the new White House correspondents when there’s a new administration. I became chief White House correspondent at CNN when President Biden took office. It was so 
cool to see the front row of that 
iconic room be all women. It was a 
really special thing.”

ML: “It’s true, we’re in a much better reality today. But there are still meetings when Ricardo and I are in the same 
room, and usually a guy is asking the question. If I start talking, they interrupt me and ask Ricardo to answer. I just 
don’t say a word. But then when I 
walk out, I’m like, ‘OK, I can’t be in this conversation again.’”

ML: “How do you think women in this country are feeling as the 2024 election approaches?”

KC: “We always try to predict what Election Day is going to look like. We like to learn and hear from voters, and see what people are thinking and how they’re feeling. And it changes, people’s priorities change. But what has been so fascinating over the last few years is how abortion and the fight over that has driven women voters in ways that we have not seen. Because of Roe v. Wade being overturned, women voters — regardless of what state they live in or how they typically vote or the demographics — are energized in a way we haven’t really seen, in Ohio and Michigan and all these different states. So that’s something I’m watching as we approach this presidential election, seeing women use their voice at the ballot box.”

ML: “Is it multigenerational?”

KC: “Young women — when you look 
at the numbers — are in favor of having access to reproductive rights. But so are, typically, their moms and their grandmothers. Roe v. Wade was decided in the 1970s. Women don’t like the idea of it shifting backward or backsliding. It’s been a real motivating factor. And it is something that has been unifying across parties and ages.”

ML: “You talked about Barbara Walters. Who are some of the other women you admired when you were growing up?”

KC: “I still love going back and watching her interviews now. I’m always interested in someone’s interview style — how they are asking questions. There’s always a lot of thought and preparation that goes into it. Different people have different styles. I always watched Katie Couric growing up. She has this great story about wanting to be taken seriously when she was covering the Pentagon before she went to the ‘Today’ show. I am always interested in backstories and how [women] got to where they are, how they became successful, how they handled a certain situation.”

ML: “What advice do you have for the next generation of women journalists?”

KC: “I wish I’d known when I had gotten out of college to be more outspoken and to be myself. I think it’s easy to feel intimidated or to not challenge conventional wisdom. As a young woman, to speak up and to use your voice and to have a backbone, it’s not always natural. But I think it’s really a powerful tool.”

Kaitlan Collins and Marina Larroudé: The FN Cover Shoot

View Gallery 8 Images

Larroudé and Nordstrom are teaming up for an exclusive partnership as part of the retailer’s “Make Room for Shoes” campaign. From April 29 through June 2, customers can shop the Larroudé summer collection.

As part of this collaboration, Larroudé’s Hibiscus capsule collection of six exclusive styles will be available at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com. Marina Larroudé, co-founder of Larroudé, said, “This summer, I am thrilled to share a collection that holds a special place in my heart — the Hibiscus capsule collection. Inspired by my cherished summer memories in Brazil, each piece resonates with the warmth and vibrancy of my homeland.”

Standouts in the line include a ruffled flat, seen in a denim colorway, a magenta slingback sandal, seen in magenta and is complete with a floral hibiscus embellishment, as well as flat thong sandal, offered in multiple colorways.

Larroudé added, “This collection is for the vibrant, spirited woman who loves to celebrate life.”

This event also marks Larroudé’s entry into all of Nordstrom’s stores, up from just 30 doors in the first quarter of 2024.

Nordstrom’s Make Room for Shoes campaign — which began at the start of the year with On followed by Sam Edelman, and most recently, Birkenstock — puts an emphasis on its footwear heritage.

According to Nordstrom’s executive vice president and general merchandise manager for shoes Tacey Powers, Make Room for Shoes will come to life through monthly partnerships with some of the industry’s best footwear brands and will feature a curated selection of new styles, exclusives, dedicated visual displays and shopping experiences. The year-long project will live in all Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom.com, Powers noted.

Larroudé is celebrating the blossoming flowers of spring with the release of a new shoe capsule collection with Miami-based artist Gabriela Noelle.

According to the footwear brand, the collection features five styles ranging from mules to sandals. The standout style is the Full Bloom mule, which features an oversized flower on the upper made of cotton in a gradient rainbow colorway.

Other styles include the Blossom flat sandal in mirror silver with either black and white or multicolor acrylic flowers, the Garden mule in vinyl clear and mirror silver with the same black and white or multicolor acrylic flowers and the Dew Drop mule made in soft patent gradient rainbow and clear vinyl.

Marina Larroudé said in a statement about the collection that she’s always admired Noelle’s work. “Her use of vibrant colors and the imaginative figures that have become her signature capture everything I adore,” Larroudé said. “These shoes are not just footwear; they’re wearable, interactive works of art, representing a design dream realized.”

Noelle added that working with the Larroudé team was a dream come true. “Working with Larroudé’s team has been a dream, especially because they’ve embraced my control-freak-adjacent nature and myriad of ever-changing ideas with grace,” Noelle said. “We have a collection that speaks to my inner child, embraces playfulness and youthful femininity, and something I really can’t get over, honors my artwork. It feels very rewarding that Marina believes I have a voice strong enough to be represented by her shoes and then worn by women worldwide.”

“Gabriela has become not just a collaborator but a friend,” Larroudé added. “We’ve discussed working together since Larroudé’s inception, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that this collaboration has come to fruition. She is one of my favorite contemporary artists, and it’s a dream come true to work with such a talented woman whom I can call a friend. This partnership is a true masterpiece, signaling a new era for Larroudé.”

The new Larroudé x Gabriela Noelle collection, which retails between $330 and $450, is now available at larroude.com and at the Gabriela Noelle pop-up exhibition, called “April Flowers,” in Miami’s Design District.

On April 17, the duo will celebrate the launch with an evening of garden-themed bites and Caribbean sounds by a female DJ at the Miami pop-up.

Cultivating the next generation of female footwear leaders has never been more critical — and Women Who Rock 2024 will shine a spotlight on the power of mentoring.

On June 5, FN and Two Ten will once again partner for Women Who Rock — which takes place during market week in New York — for an evening of networking, cocktails and content. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

This year’s speakers will take the stage to talk about finding and becoming a great mentor, valuable leadership lessons and the road ahead for women in leadership. (More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.)

Our influential lineup includes: Marcia Kilgore, founder of FitFlop; Marina Larroudé, co-founder and chief creative officer of Larroudé; Tamara Mellon, founder of her namesake brand and co-founder of Jimmy Choo; and Sharifa Murdock, chief impact officer at Kith.

Kilgore has founded a number of game-changing global companies in the worlds of beauty and wellness, including FitFlop, Bliss, Soap & Glory and Soaper Duper. In 2016, she launched Beauty Pie, a concept aimed at democratizing the beauty industry and disrupting its outdated business model.

Larroudé is the force behind one of the footwear industry’s fastest-growing emerging brands, which she started with her husband Ricardo Larroudé during the pandemic. During a difficult climate for new labels, the former Barneys fashion director has defied the odds with her mix of trend-right product at accessible prices, attention-grabbing collaborations and social media prowess.

Mellon’s shoe story began when she co-founded Jimmy Choo at the age of 27 and helped turn the brand into a household name. In 2013, two years after exiting the British label, the designer went out on her own, founding her eponymous label with a unique vision. Now Mellon’s growing the business and expanding into wholesale via a partnership with Titan Industries. Last week, she opened a pop-up in Beverly Hills, Calif.

At Kith, Murdock spearheads the brand’s diversity and social impact initiatives and oversees The Kinnect Foundation, the company’s in-house non-profit. Prior to her role at the influential retailer, Murdock worked her way through the trade show circuit, co-founding Liberty and Project alongside her mentor Sam Ben-Avraham.

For more information and to buy tickets, go here or email Trish Reidy at preidy@fairchildfashion.com For sponsorship inquiries, email Hillari Lazzara at hlazzara@fairchildfashion.com.

Women Who Rock is being supported by Rack Room Shoes.

As part of our event partnership, FN will make a donation to support Two Ten’s work to advance women in the industry and promote a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive industry.

Marina Larroudé, the footwear designer behind her eponymous brand, has designed a capsule collection for Rosewood Le Guanahani, a luxury resort in St. Barth, marking the designer’s first hotel partnership.

The capsule, which is available today, is inspired by the joie de vivre of St. Barth.

Hand-crafted in Brazil of supple leather, the capsule features four styles, including two flat sandals and two wedge sandals. The Rosewood Le Guanahai seal is emblazoned on the sole. The flat Madison sandals, that retail for $290, are available in ivory and Caribbean, and the Madison Wedge sandals, that are $330, are available in lilac and ivory.

Details include gold seashells and a hammered gold buckle. Larroudé, channeled the resort’s colorful design elements and the shades of its natural oceanfront surroundings. The shoes will be available at Rosewood Le Guanahai’s La Boutique and on Larroude’s website.

“Taking cues from the joie de vivre of Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth, I designed a collection that celebrates the intersection of travel and fashion by incorporating its vibrant hues and lavish accents into a shoe that allows the wearer to carry a touch of St. Barths wherever they go,” said Larroudé.

“Collaborating with the resort, which is a personal favorite of mine, my friends and Larroudé’s clients, was a natural decision as on my own travels, I, like many travelers, always search for a unique souvenir to being home that reminds me of the trip. With shared clientele and a mutual appreciation for luxury, the partnership will introduce the world of Larroudé to Rosewood Le Guanahai guests, and vice versa, creating an exciting synergy between our brands,” she said.

Martein van Wagenberg, managing director of Rosewood Le Guanahai St. Barth, added, “We are incredibly proud to collaborate with Larroudé, a brand that shares our core values as well as our ethos of playful sophistication. The natural overlap between Rosewood Le Guanahani and Larroudé’s clientele makes this partnership a wonderful match, and we are thrilled to offer our guests the opportunity to purchase this exclusive capsule collection at La Boutique.”

Larroudé and Altuzarra have teamed up to create the ultimate pump.

For their new collaboration, which launched Thursday, the designers created a slingback style in black leather, black patent leather and silver specchio leather, with the shoes produced in Larroudé’s Brazilian factory.

“Joseph’s challenged our team to create a very sexy pump, a new silhouette that we had never done before. The goal was to create something special, that you can’t find anywhere but classic enough that you can wear for years to come,” designer and founder Marina Larroudé told FN. “The outsole of the shoe is black and shiny. It was the first shoe we developed and produced at our factory and we could not be prouder of how it came out.”

The two first met 14 years ago when Larroudé was working at Style.com and Altuzarra was embarking on his fashion journey.

“I’ve been a friend and fan of Joseph’s since his first ever collection debuted. It was just about time to get to work with him in developing something unique. I’m a huge admirer of his work and it’s been a dream to collaborate and marry his expressive design ethos with what Larroudé does best,” she added.

For Altuzarra, creating a silhouette that included both brand’s DNA was key to this collection.

He said, “When looking at the approach for the collaboration, we wanted to create iconic items in your wardrobe that you can wear season after season that felt relevant, sexy and polished. The style of sling-back pump with the Altuzarra buckle detailing, elongated toe and the architectural heel has a bit of both brands DNA imbued in the final product.”

The shoes feature a four-inch heel and retails for $490. The style is available now on Larroude.com, Altuzarra.com and exclusively at ModaOperandi.com.

Larroudé x Altuzarra Pump In Black Patent Leather

$490 Buy Now at larroude

Larroudé x Altuzarra Pump In Silver Specchio

$490 Buy Now at larroude