Q&A with Jessie Randall

Loeffler Randall is the result of a beautiful collaboration between designer Jessie Randall and husband and business partner, Brian Murphy. Together they’ve built a brand in the past five years that is not only a favourite with downtown set, but for pretty much anyone who loves chic, modern design.Since launching Loeffler Randall, the duo won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Design in 2007, had twin boys, and has since expanded the brand into apparel. Here, Jessie Randall fill us in on her love of party shoes, Target, Loeffler Randall’s venture into resortwear, and a cause near to her heart.

What was your design training like?

I didn’t follow a traditional path to a design career. I attended a liberal arts college and moved to New York to work in advertising. I met my husband, Brian Murphy, who encouraged me to pursue my true passion: fashion design. And so I quit my job, went back to school, and was lucky to get an internship with a favourite designer that quickly led to jobs in the industry. In 2004 I left my job as a handbag designer to start Loeffler Randall with my husband.

How and where do you find inspiration season after season?

My primary source of inspiration is my own closet. Each season I think about the kinds of things I’d like to have in my wardrobe and that is the jumping off point. I am very inspired by moods and so I love looking at old films and old magazines at the beginning of the design season.

I read that you started off designing shoes you couldn’t find in the market. Other than your own, what other shoes can we find in your closet?

I started Loeffler Randall because I really could not find the kind of shoes I wanted to wear. I was wearing mostly vintage shoes at the time, flats or little heels, and I was looking for a shoe with the perfect toe shape — one that was neither too round nor too pointed. I wanted a boot with a straight shaft that wasn’t tight on the leg. So Brian and I decided to create a line that would have those things.

These days, I’d say 95% of my shoes are Loeffler Randall. I can’t even count how many pairs of Matilde boots I have…I live in them. Other than Loeffler Randall, I have mostly casual shoes like Vans or Sorell boots for the snow, with the odd pair of Miu Miu snake sandals thrown in.

You did a one-off line for Target. What was that process like?

I am a huge fan of Target so designing a collection for them was a thrill for me. I was excited to introduce the Loeffler Randall brand to a wider audience. I always say the only thing that was difficult about the project was that I designed it when I was very, very pregnant with my twins!

Please tell us about how you got involved with Living India.

We became involved through Brian, whose friend Rabbi Joseph Edelheit helped start Living India with his wife. Living India is an organization in India that, among many other things, cares for children orphaned by AIDS who are also living with the virus themselves. As a mother, my heart aches when I think about children like those served by Living India and I want to help in any way possible. Supporting Living India is something that we feel very strongly about at Loeffler Randall from donating money to raising awareness.

How do you approach style — from creating a look to simply getting dressed everyday?

I like to dress in a way that is both dressed up and dressed down at the same time. I never want to look too put together — it’s just not my style. These days I am into wearing a sweatshirt dress with a sexy pair of heels, or wearing a dress with a tough pair of masculine looking boots. I aspire for my look to be chic, understated and unexpected.

Loeffler Randall debuted a cool, new e-commerce site this fall. What has the response been like in terms of how you’re now connecting with your customer? How much input did you have into the creation of the site?

The launch of Loefflerrandall.com has truly been amazing for our company. When we started thinking about this project, we conceived our website to be our first retail “store” and that is how we view it: as a platform to enable a direct dialogue with consumers and to showcase what our brand is all about, from the mood to the imagery to the full spectrum of product.

Along with my partners and our staff, I’ve worked hard on the web project since the beginning and I continue to be very involved — from working on brand photo shoots to blogging to designing the special gift-wrap that comes in every package.

Loeffler Randall’s resort collection is about to debut. What item from that collection will you be wearing most and how does working on resort differ from Spring or Fall?

Designing Resort was fun for me and this is the first Resort collection we have ever shown. It was an interesting design proposition — designing shoes that are truly transitional. Resort is a cross between spring and winter so the shoes needed to be styles that work in warm and cooler weather. My favourite style from Resort is the June short lace-up bootie. I love wearing mine to toughen up a feminine dress.

What’s one shoe style every woman should own?

When I was a little girl my most favourite thing was to go to the shoe store each year with my mom for a pair of “party shoes” — the shoes I would wear to all my friend’s birthday parties, for holidays, etc. The feeling of wearing those new shoes was indescribable! So I would say every woman should own a pair of shoes that makes them feel the way my party shoes did: proud, special and excited to get dressed in the morning and go out into the world.