Marina Larroudé, founder of her namesake global footwear brand, has aimed to disrupt the fashion industry by offering luxury shoes priced between $290 and $590. Larroudé, alongside her co-founder, CEO, and husband Ricardo Larroudé, launched their debut collection in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with an initial investment of $4,000 and a Shopify website.
The initial collection featured four styles: a knee-high boot, a chunky platform, a mule, and a pointed-toe ballet flat. While Larroudé initially favored a daisy print, her experience as vice president and fashion director at Barneys New York informed her decision to offer neutral colors, which historically sell best. However, following the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and a return to social gatherings, the daisy print unexpectedly sold out, an event Larroudé described as "revenge shopping."
The self-financed brand has focused on designing shoes that allow for self-expression without sacrificing comfort. Larroudé emphasizes wearability, stating, "I don’t want someone to buy a shoe from us and not wear it." To achieve this, she hired a Brazilian woman as head engineer to develop shoe constructions from scratch, incorporating features such as wider toe boxes and memory foam soles. This decision to build construction internally, rather than adopting the industry norm of using existing models, proved to be a costly but ultimately successful strategy for the brand.
Larroudé's brand has garnered attention from notable figures, including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Alicia Keys, and former First Lady Jill Biden. As an entrepreneur, Larroudé believes that taking risks is essential for success, asserting, "If I play by the old playbook, I’m not going to get anywhere. We are here to disrupt what no longer works."
In another strategic shift, at Ricardo’s suggestion, Larroudé transitioned away from the traditional wholesale business model, which relies on bulk orders from major retailers. Instead, the brand adopted a direct-to-consumer model with a focus on sustainability. This approach allows customers to pre-order upcoming styles in advance, enabling the company to optimize production processes and minimize waste. "We see what the customers are responding to," she explained, "And then we chase that demand."
By 2023, the demand for Larroudé's products led to the opening of a nearly 100,000-square-foot factory in Sapiranga, Brazil. This facility consolidates production, logistics, marketing, and administration under one roof. In less than five years, the company has grown from a five-person team to 750 employees. The brand, which reports nine-digit revenue, currently manufactures 500,000 shoes annually, with a goal to reach one million pairs manufactured per year by 2028.
As the business continues to expand, Larroudé remains committed to supporting the Brazilian employees. "To give prosperity back to a country," she stated, including through providing comprehensive health benefits and growth opportunities, "that, for me, is the silver lining."