Melissa Shoes launched in Brazil in 1979 and is an internationally revered brand. What about the company and the product do you love and what keeps you energized in your role?

Melissa is an innovation company and I love that there is also a message in all we do. The goal I set up for myself when I launched Melissa in the US was to introduce and establish a new footwear category that combines high-end, fashionable, affordable design with sustainable shoes that can be recycled. Being Brazilian, the environment has always been very important to me and everyday we are trying to improve the sustainability of our production line. We also keep pushing our designs and adding more special collaborations with artists and designers and just launched developed neutral shoes. And the team I have built at Melissa is a thing of dreams. I could not possibly love it more!

As a mother and CEO, how have you balanced both during the course of your career? What advice can you share with women and new moms?

I personally don’t answer this question. Men don’t get asked it.

Can you recall a career challenge that felt insurmountable and how you overcame it?

Many but my attitude is that I don’t have problems, just the challenge and opportunity to craft a solution. It’s a very rational approach but because of my upbringing and the many challenges I have faced in my personal life I never gave fear a chance.
A good example of that philosophy is when I left my successful 12-year career in private equity at age 32 to become an entrepreneur. I froze. There’s no guidelines for how to do it. I had no examples in my family or circle of friends and no clear path to follow. I overcame it with the mantra that I still preach; “keep moving”. I took a job with a non-profit with David Rockefeller and used that time to meet as many interesting and influential people as I could, to learn and observe. Entrepreneurship is not a “eureka” moment. It’s a process. One of challenges, discovery, uncertainty but also infinite joy and pride.

Melissa has evolved over the past few decades yet has always maintained the casual and comfortable identity of the brand—which makes it perfect for busy moms. What are a few of your current favorite styles and why?

Our Beach Slides are always popular with our mom clients because they are easy to slip on before running out of the house. The memory foam insole makes them really comfortable and they’re stylish and come in a huge variety of colors and patterns. During my own pregnancy, me ankles swelled and so did my feet. Melissa shoes are so malleable they adjusted to my feet and saved my life. They took me from the office to parties and I could not have been more grateful for them! I’m also obsessed with our Ulitsa Sneaker — a slip on sneaker that is comfortable, great for running around and easy to clean because they’re made of plastic. I have the Ulitsa sneakers in every color.

What is the story behind Mini Melissas?

Mini Melissas were launched in 2012, a good 30 years after the women’s collection. The reason behind it goes back to our values. Melissa is a lifestyle and as our customers grew up we realized that their children were now a part of that lifestyle. We also wanted to empower kids, and the designs are so simple, children as young as one or two years old can put their Mini Melissas on their own. They feel independent and “grown up”.

What makes Brazilian womens’ style so unique?

Brazilian women are fearless, which translates into their style. We grew up free, running on the streets. Public parks are a rarity. The beach and the streets are our playground. We are not a rich country. We had to do with what we were given. So we made and still make the best of it. We had ourselves to count on. We aren’t afraid of expressing ourselves through our style – it isn’t a one size fits all approach and you can see that in our collections. Melissa Shoes has a wide range of styles to fit everyone’s taste. As a brand we can go from a super cool matte plastic sneaker all the way to a glittery, shiny flat with a big bow embellishment. We like to say that there is a Melissa Shoe for everyone.

The brand is constantly collaborating with big-name designers in the fashion world. Tell us about these collaborative projects and what makes them so special?

We pioneered that concept in 1985 when collaboration was not even a word [in the fashion vernacular] by co-creating shoes with Jean Paul Gaultier. Our materials enable us to be free thinkers and collaborations help us push the design envelope by introducing new concepts and techniques. They also give us an opportunity to reach an audience who might have not heard about Melissa before. Customers also love that they can get high-end designer shoes at accessible prices while also knowing they are vegan and sustainably made.

Tell us a little about the intersection of art, design and technology that makes up the brand and how Melissa supports those communities, particularly women in those communities.

Melissa collaborations tap the art, design and technology communities — we don’t only collaborate with fashion designers but also with architects, like Zaha Hadid and furniture designers, like the Campana Brothers. Just because they aren’t in fashion doesn’t mean they can’t design a beautiful shoe. In terms of technology, we are at the forefront of plastic technology. For example, we created a patented PVC plastic material called Melflex that is recyclable, flexible, non-toxic, free of heavy metals, hypoallergenic and infused with our signature bubblegum scent.