Mary Alice Malone is the founder of New-York and London-based Malone Souliers.Mary Alice’s eponymous brand of elevated women’s shoes was founded in 2014 in London, and quickly rose to become a leading name in International luxury footwear. Picked up by leading e-comm fashion retailers such as Net-a-Porter and Matches shortly after the brand was launched, Malone started appearing on every cool girl’s feet. Launching in the UK first, the brand won over customers in the Middle East and Europe, then North America.Mary Alice Malone was born and raised in the heart of the Pennsylvania countryside. Passionate about horse riding, Mary Alice didn’t expect she’d become a footwear designer one day, but she was always interested in craftsmanship and the process of designing objects.She later honed her craft at the London College of Fashion, further refining her skills at a number of renowned ateliers, before launching her own brand.Mary Alice took a short break from leading Malone when she became pregnant with her first child, leaving co-founder Roy Luwort in charge; but she came back, determined to continue to lead Malone’s love story with customers across the world, and carry on the brand’s expansion.Listen to our interview with Mary Alice where we talk about the obstacles she has faced breaking through footwear glass ceilings — after all, luxury women’s footwear is traditionally designed mostly by men for some odd reason… and discover the many lessons she has learned along the way.