Roswitha van Rijn
(Ros-wee-ta van Rine) is the quintessential designer, from head to toe. With her first stroke onto a sketch pad at age ten, she has been aligned with design in Baarn, her birthplace in Holland. Her sense of style was inherited from a highly fashionable mother, who allowed a young Roswitha the uninhibited environment of expression through canvas painting and T-shirt design (her first collection). Now a fledgling shoe designer, demand for her custom-designed shoes has been on the rise since her first pair made its mark on the catwalk 3 1/2 years ago. Read my interview with the Dutch shoe designer:
TWHS: Some talents are inborn; others are developed. When did you know that designing shoes was your calling? Roswitha: Although I drew a lot of shoes from the age of 10, it took me a while to follow my passion. After studying Italian art history at The University of Amsterdam, I attended the Arnhem Acadamey of Art's
Fashion Department in Holland. That's when I knew shoes were my thing; I lost interest in clothing and focused only on shoe design. After there, I attended SVGB-OSLO, a school which specialized in shoemaking.
TWHS: Who is the Roswitha van Rijn client? And where can your shoes be found? Roswitha: I call my clients, "intelligent fairies with attitude", meaning women with brains, who aren't afraid to dream and laugh, yet at the same time are not afraid of wearing something that makes a statement. My shoes are found on the feet of buyers, models, friends and myself. For anyone interested, they can contact me at
my website.TWHS: What important principles have you learned while designing footwear for the House of Mada van Gaans?Roswitha: What I learned was all things work out as long as you follow your own path. I started designing for her my first year at SVGB-OSLO. I knew how to design, but barely knew how to create a final product. People told me that I couldn't do it, but I learned that while you use your head along with your creativity, you can do anything you want (without models falling down on the catwalk, haha!!).
TWHS: What are your goals for developing your presence in the couture shoe design industry? And will you be opening shoe salons in the U.S.?Roswitha: I still only sell custom-designed pairs, but my goal is to have my own exclusive line. An important thing for me to do is fair trade. I don't believe in low-cost or low quality. My shoes and boots are for people who want something special; a beautiful design and high-quality materials. At the moment, I'm designing shoes for the 2008 Winter Collection presentation for Dutch fashion designer
Ilja Visser (showing on January 26th). After the Visser show, I will be flying to Central America to continue negotiations with shoemaking families there, so my line is not far away. My collection will be sold in high-end fashion stores (including the U.S.).
TWHS: What advice do you give "shoe snobs"; women who only allow well-known designer shoes to wrap around their weekly-pedicured feet? Roswitha: It's okay if women want to stick to a particular designer. But do pay attention to the way the shoes are made - and more importantly - by whom. There are a lot of children in Asia working many hours for nothing and big companies that get very rich from that. I would say if you have the money to spend, then by all means spend it; but do it in a conscious way.
TWHS will be featuring Roswitha's new collection next month, so keep reading! For further information on Roswitha, contact So Dutch Fashion.
