We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Teresa Costa. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Teresa below.

Alright, Teresa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have been a vegetarian and animal activists for many years. I also love fashion, so I decided to put 2 of my biggest passions together and create a line of high fashion vegan shoes for women. It was also very important to me to find a factory where the shoes are ethically made I don’t ever want to support any sweat shops even if I make less profit.. By the grace of God, I found a family owned an operated factory in Ecuador. It is very hard to find fashionable & comfortable cruelty free shoes. All of our shoes have rubber bottoms and extra padding for added comfort. I am also very happy to give 5% of every purchase to animal charities like Peta & Farm Sanctuary. I hope to educate consumers that you don’t have to sacrifice style for compassion.

Teresa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am originally from Oakland Ca and moved to NY in 1997 for a change and a way to better my life. I worked in retail, real estate and banking. At the age of 39 I was going through a divorce and was feeling very depressed and unfulfilled. One day while processing a wire transfer at the bank for a customer that was sending money to a shoe manufacturer. I got inspired to ask him if I can pay for a sample of a custom shoe for myself. He kindly agreed and I created my first shoe. I really enjoyed it & was inspired to create my own line of Shoes.

It has been challenging because I launched my website 6 months before the pandemic. But I have been blessed meeting a lot of wonderful people a long the way that have helped me and I will continue to work hard promoting my brand and have faith that Sales will increase. I believe with hard work and perseverance my dreams will come true.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I was at the bank doing a wire transfer to order a sample of a shoe from a factory in Mexico. Again by the grace of God the banker processing the wire asked me what kind of business I have. After our conversation he told me that his Uncles family owns a shoe factor in Ecuador. I was ecstatic to hear that and set up a meeting with him. They are wonderful people and I’m very happy with the quality. They also allow me to order small minimums which is a huge help for any small business. I believe God has been guiding me and working through others to help me achieve this dream. It is not only selling shoes to me but spreading an awareness to hopefully end animal cruelty and have shoes with purpose.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I think social media is a great resource. I also use a lot of #vegan #hashtags to attract an audience that has similar views.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tcostacollectionnyc.com
• Instagram: @theteresacostacollection
• Facebook: Teresa Costa Collection
• Linkedin: The Teresa Costa Collection

Image Credits
Julie Cousins Max Flores Olga Serpio