Every fashion leader has a vision just as everyone has a story. It’s up to you to tell the story as it should be told.

At CFDA IMPACT’s most recent Conversations with Creatives, the topic was footwear design.

The discussion was moderated by Content Creator Taryn Delanie Smith and featured footwear designers Sunni Dixon, Kendall Reynolds, and Armando Cabral who shared stories throughout the journey of building their own blueprint as entrepreneurs in the world of fashion and footwear design.

Each designer has been persistent in the competitive fashion industry all while staying grounded in what they see fit for themselves. Their values and culture have contributed to brand identities, which are extensions of their authentic selves.

“For me, culture speaks volume and culture is embedded in my work, everything I do today,” the model turned designer Cabral stated.

These designers are resilient even when their experiences are uncomfortable, as they understand their brands give room to people who want to experience luxury fashion.

D.C native Dixon said, “When we tip out into the city, we look good — and that is what my brand articulates.”

They also know that their brands have encouraged people to create what they believe people should experience.

While studying at the University of Southern California, Reynolds applied to Arsutoria, a technical and design institution that specializes in footwear in Milan, Italy, after discovering what she wanted for herself. “I asked myself ‘what are my passions?’ While soul-searching, I would draw random things,” Reynolds said. “One day I drew a shoe and I was taken back so I drew more shoes — and I knew I wanted to start a footwear company.”

Since then, she has stopped at nothing to elevate her brand to be a light of leisure, glam, and a breath of fresh air for women, especially to those who look like her. As Reynolds put it, “My brand Kendall Miles is connected with people on an emotional level. You have to connect on a human level.”

For the designers, their stories have not only derived from how they see the world but also how they believe people exist throughout the world with multiple identities. “I believe showing various styles and experiences through my brand, Sunni Suni, has made me care more about the stories around me, which has played a role in how I am inspired by other people,” Dixon said, adding, “I want to show the duality of my brand that exists amongst a lot of people because we know people of multi identities, some of them are our friends.”

Cabral works to make an impact with his eponymous brand, inspired by social activism. He stated, “Although I am from Portugal, I still identify as African. People have attempted to act as if the African identity does not exist.”

Yet Cabral continues to pour his cultural identity into his footwear. “African symbols are not included  in the designs for aesthetic purposes,” Cabral said. “But the symbols such as unity are embodied in my shoes because the meanings and characteristics are reflected in how I move around the world.

“Storytelling,” Cabral added, “is fundamental to fashion. People purchase products based on how it relates and aligns with their values, not just the appearance.

Too often, designers who are Black have based their storytelling in traumatic burdens all while the industry capitalizes off the Black experience. Yet these designers have fantasies they have imagined for themselves that parallels their brands, concepts, and design aesthetics.

“I have dedicated my work to creating stories that are filled with trauma and sadness, although those stories do exist,” Dixon shared. “I believe Black people have an abundance and depth in so much more than pain. My first editorial content for my brand was inspired by science fiction. I think it is important to inject your own imagination into your stories and work.”

Reynolds added, “I think it is important to tell other stories as well. I am driven to tell stories that I am passionate about and living out loud. I am all about Black girl luxury, Black girl abundance, we deserve it, so that is what the message is for me.”

As for Cabral, “I am sharing stories that are forgotten and stories that are never told. I am telling the stories of the world’s richest, Mansa Musa, and Ancient African Kingdoms such as the Mali Empire that shaped the world we know today.”

Although everyone’s visions and success stories are unique in their own ways, life is a book of stories that people can testify to through design, entrepreneurship, and commonality.