I started my business with a dream and a vision. My passion and purpose collided and that was the beginning of my journey into entrepreneurship. Once I had the vision of designing women’s footwear, I researched classes to take to confirm that this idea was not a hobby but more of something that I wanted to pursue, a gift of design. After the class, my love for footwear excelled. A boost of energy, confidence and creativity ensued. About a month later, I wrote my business plan, worked on a logo and had it trademarked and found a “consultant” to work with me and guide me through the process of shoe design…from ideation/design, to prototype to production. It took about a year to launch my first capsule collection. It was so liberating and scary at the same time. Initially, my business was heavily word-of-mouth. I utilized my personal social media (facebook now Meta) to advertise my business and set up business social media accounts as well. My first outlet was me sharing on my personal Facebook that had over 1000 contacts. Friends and family shared my post and we were off to the races. Sales began to come in, people were so happy to purchase and wear my shoes! From there, I relocated to the NYC metro area to get engrained in the fashion/footwear world. All of this was new to me…I was very green but went with things that came natural and stretched myself with networking in circles that I was not familiar with. After working with a boutique PR agency, setting up my e-comm website, social media and attending tradeshows I quickly learned about the business of fashion. Always evolving in this business, I became ferociously involved…I met stylists, business leaders, organization directors and founders, etc. that spoke to me about the business – ups and downs, lessons learned and victories. I eventually worked with a design and merchandising team in Italy which was my first experience designing a full collection and not a capsule collection of shoes…this was about 3-4 years after launching my first collection. That was a dream and very insightful of how the larger, established brands work together to produce collections. Each year is a learning experience no matter how far along I am in the business.

MEET TIANNIA BARNES With her background in engineering and a love for fashion that started at an early age, Tiannia has created shoes that don’t sacrifice style or comfort.
She is a trained shoemaker who knows the value of quality materials, precise patterns, and masterful craftsmanship. Her shoes are fierce, bold, confident.
HER STORY
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, she was always naturally creative. However, she excelled in math and science, earning a dual-bachelor’s degree in mathematics from HBCU Clark Atlanta University, another in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech, and ultimately an MBA from the University of Maryland.
Years later, while working for a global business management and IT consulting company, she finally embraced her love of fashion and design. She sought the mentorship of a trained shoe designer, attended shoemaking school, and learned the art of footwear design. In 2014, she pivoted careers to launch her eponymous brand.
Today, the brand has retail e-commerce partnerships with Amazon Fashion and the recently launched Empower Global, a marketplace for lifestyle, fashion and beauty curated and owned by Sean Combs (Diddy).
PRESS
Tiannia Barnes has been featured in NYFW, Paris FW, Forbes, The Tamron Hall Show, Black Enterprise, Essence Magazine, Footwear News, Worth Magazine, British Vogue, InStyle, Amazon and been interviewed as a HistoryMaker by the Library of Congress.
PHILANTHROPY & HONORS
Tiannia is committed to giving back and is active in entrepreneurship, education, and youth empowerment. The brand supports organizations focused on programming for under-served youth. She sits on numerous boards, participates in multiple Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.) programs, and has been a guest lecturer at the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University. In June 2023, she was honored by the YWCA of Northern New Jersey as a “Woman to Watch” and has been a featured speaker on several panels – including Harlem’s Fashion Row’s annual designers retreat sponsored by Nike Fashion and Footwear.