Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Archila. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

It is not a coincidence that Della Terra was born just a few years ago. I have been interested in sustainable fashion for a long time, but I had been told for many years that it was not realistic to develop an eco-conscious line. From the time I was in graduate school for Fashion Design I kept hearing that sustainable fashion was too expensive, too challenging and most importantly that the customer did not care how the products were made, or about their environmental impact. These messages continued throughout my over 15 years of designing contemporary footwear professionally. Worst of all: I believed them. I thought sustainable fashion was a pipe dream and that I would not see a world where this was valued in my life time.

Right before the pandemic hit and during lockdown, I started to see a shift. I realized that globally our priorities had changed and suddenly there was a resounding voice demanding more eco-conscious options. There was also innovation of material options that rivaled leather in terms of durability and versatility. I knew that if I was going to bring a new line of shoes into this world, it had to be a line that paid respect to the amazing planet we get to live on, and to those customers who so badly wanted to be empowered by their choices, not having to choose between fashion and the environment.

Some say sustainability is a trend, and I hope that its one that is here to stay. I would describe it as a movement with momentum. This passion project turned into opportunity; a dove-tailing of what we all want to wear, and what was missing from our closets visually, aesthetically and environmentally.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’d love to introduce myself! I’m Emily Landsman Archila, Founder & CEO of Della Terra Shoes, an eco-conscious fashion footwear brand.

I have been a professional shoe designer for almost 20 years. Prior to starting my own line, I designed for brands like Alice + Olivia, Diane von Furstenberg & Vince Camuto. I fell in love with shoes as a child and dreamed of creating them as I grew up. I saw a need in the market (and in my own closet) for shoes that did not require choosing fashion at the expense of the environment or vice versa.

I am incredibly proud of what Della Terra is – a sustainable, vegan fashion footwear company. We were awarded B Corporation Certification, which means that we have incorporated our mission of sustainability and charitable donations into the corporate documents founding our company. We have also won 5 Global Footwear Awards as well as the Global Vegan Awards alongside our PETA-approved Vegan certification.

My aim is to empower the amazing people wearing these shoes with footwear they feel great wearing in every way.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

When I founded Della Terra, I had already worked in the footwear industry for over 15 years and had the benefit of diverse experience working for many different companies, large and small. I was able to learn so much from each and every environment and challenge that I encountered along the way and forged important relationships.

This meant by the time I launched my own line; I had a lot of information and an extensive portfolio of work backed up with sales to inform my decisions and lend my new brand credibility. I am so grateful for the amazing network of people I leaned on and reached out to while developing Della Terra.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

Originally, I dreamed of being a shoe designer and thought it was all about drawing pictures of pretty shoes. It was not until graduate school where I realized that this 2D approach to design was not going to satisfy my creativity. I knew nothing about how to create shoes, but I knew it had to be done on the foot. I bought lasts (foot-shaped molds that shoes are built on) off of Ebay and began pinning and draping leather and fabric on these forms. My approach was sculptural and, to a certain extent, very related to how I still design shoes today.

I began working as a designer and product developer in 2010 for a brand called Via Spiga and that is when I really got involved with the manufacturing part of the process. I realized working directly with the factories gave me a much more thorough understanding of how to design shoes that could be effectively made, and perhaps most importantly, that would fit.

This method is hugely helpful for developing product from a design perspective as well as a practical one. It allows for understanding how shoes fit and how to engineer them in a way that is most efficient and best for the environment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dellaterrashoes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dellaterrashoes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dellaterrashoes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/della-terra-shoes/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dellaterrashoes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdSypd-uyO65_fsnbQDTVYQ

Image Credits
Sandals: Veronica Girotti Boots: Elyse Pono