We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Rizzuto recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I do sometimes “wish” I started my creative career earlier. But I believe everything happens right on time.. right when it’s supposed to… or it wouldn’t be. Everything truly happens in divine timing and in Gods plan. Everything I’ve done and learned over the years has gotten me to this exact moment. Everything is about learning and growing. Even the losses those are big wins because we learned something! If I spent my time “wishing” I started earlier I’d be taken from exactly where I am and never get anywhere. So, at times I do wish I started earlier so I was doing what I loved from a younger age and had more time to pave the way and inspire others! But I try to always look at the positive! I get to do exactly that: NOW and going forward!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! My name is Nicole Rizzuto. I am currently a 30 year old native New Yorker living in central Florida! I’m a plus / curve signed model & also a partner in a footwear company (LGND Footwear) co owned with my fiance Patrick Dancy.

I grew up on long island NY for most of my life. I then moved to NYC while attending the Fashion Institute of Technology! There is where I found my love and passion for the business side of fashion while also diving into my own creativity in the industry. I worked for a luxury wholesaler doing merchandising management & operations! There I truly wore many “hats” and learned the ins and the outs of the business behind the fashion. While in NYC Is where I met my fiance Patrick, whom was in the beginning stages of his start up LGND Footwear. Everything took off from there. His creativity paired with my fashion business background was the beginning of our journey! We started off with a men’s athletic athleisure boot & accessories. We’re now about to launch our season 2 (S2) which has men’s and women’s lowtop sneakers!

After a stint in NYC we decided to take our talents to LA. We there furthered our mission with LGND a slowly but surely grew the business. When the pandemic hit in 2020 is when things shut down and took a change for a while. We decided to be closer to family, therefore bringing us to central FL.

There is where great loss, change, and alone time drove me to my latest passion; modeling. While still working on LGND. I decided to do something I’ve never done, take a risk and apply to pretty much every modeling agency in the country. It was time to be on the other side of the business.. or camera ;)

A few agencies got back to me! I took the leap of faith and signed with my first agency: Heffer Management. From there I signed with Book Management, Elite Miami, and JL Model Management. Today I am still signed with Heffner Management, Book Management, and newly Dollhouse Management! I’ve learned so much over the last 4 years. Learning the craft, meeting some amazing new people, working with beautiful brands, and seeing how the other side of fashion works! Also, how much change and moving to and from different agencies is just part of the gig! You sometimes “think” you know.. and you really don’t until you’re “in it”.

A few things I’ve learned are:
1. You have to be willing to put your pride and ego aside & really listen to and TRUST the people who have wisdom & can help carve out your career.
2. Have fun with it! It’s all not the serious! If you’re having fun while you’re working it’s never work!
3. Trust yourself! You’re your greatest asset! BET on yourself and you’ll never lose!
4. It’s “chess” not checkers in this industry.. move with intention always.

I hope all of my followers, friends, fans etc feel inspired when they see me modeling or they see LGND. That’s always the goal: to inspire the younger generations whom want to see themselves represented, because I know when I was younger I did not. I also hope to inspire people who are my age, it’s never too late to attract what you want & pursue your dreams! & to the older generations I hope you can look at all we’re doing and be proud & also feel represented! It’s all about connecting, positivity, & inclusivity!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes! There is definitely a goal / mission driving my creative journey. I think it’s very important to have all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities represented in the world of fashion. I’m a size 14/16. My size was NEVER represented when I was my teenage years. During that time, you’re awkward.. you’re trying to figure yourself out. It makes it so much harder when you’re looking for “yourself” on TV, in a magazine, online etc and all you see is something completely different. So you feel as if you need to change or mold yourself to fit society’s narrative of what’s “pretty”. I’m not sure if that is how everyone has felt but I know I felt that. So, the goal is to keep on paving the way for the younger generations. It takes many of us women to pave different routes for these younger women. Models like Ashley Graham, Candice Huffine, Paloma Elsesser, and many more have done exactly that. The goal is to have as much inclusivity as we can on the the runways and in advertising. I think you’re always doing it for your “inner child”… that young girl who never thought it was possible… it IS!!!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being able to be exactly who I am. I get to be “Nicole” inside and out. No pretending.. no mask. I get to do what I love and inspire people while doing so. It’s so rewarding to see the images from a shoot I did out there in the world. You just hope other women & girls see it and are inspire to go after exactly what they want.

Probably one of the most rewarding moments so far in my career was walking in NYFW and Miami Swim week! To actually be able to showcase your mission LIVE is a whole different experience! To be able to walk down a runway and see the smiles on peoples faces is priceless! When I posted about NYFW and Miami swim week, the love and support I got was indescribable. You truly feel like you’re paving a way for others and leaving your mark!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lgndfootwear.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolerizzuto_?igsh=enFhdDVjamQ1eXZ1
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolerizzuto_?_t=8k6Td4rc8Tb&_r=1

Image Credits
Getty images. If used it’s shown on the photo. I own the rights to all other photos