Marina Larroudé Is Disrupting the Fashion Industry One Shoe at a Time

Larroudé has taken that same approach with her namesake global footwear brand (pronounced lah-roo-DAY), which offers luxury shoes for between $290 and $590. Larroudé and her co-founder, CEO, and husband, Ricardo Larroudé, then both unemployed, launched their debut collection in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with just $4,000 and a Shopify site. They offered a selection of four styles: a knee-high boot, a chunky platform, a mule, and a pointed-toe ballet flat. The shoes came in black, ivory, and a few playful patterns, including a daisy print. While the floral pattern was more her style, the mother of two knew from her previous job working as vice president and fashion director at Barneys New York that neutral colors always sold best. Yet something unexpected happened after the COVID vaccine became available and people started going out again: the daisy print sold out. “It was like a revenge shopping situation,” she says.The self-financed brand leaned into Marina’s style, designing shoes for those who were looking to have fun with fashion without sacrificing comfort. “I don’t want someone to buy a shoe from us and not wear it,” she says, which is why she hired a fellow Brazilian ...