Black-Owned Luxury Shoe Line Chelsea Paris Is Now Available at Neiman Marcus

Chelsea Paris Gigi Boot Royal Python, courtesy photo
Founded by Theresa Ebagua, a Nigerian-born, Los Angeles and London-based designer, the luxury shoe brand Chelsea Paris is now available at the world-class department store Neiman Marcus. “I am ecstatic to be in partnership with Neiman Marcus. It’s a great opportunity and exposure for the brand. Especially as a Black designer to be recognized by such a retailer, it’s an important validation,” says Ebagua.

Ebagua left a successful career in the tech industry to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a designer. She attended Ars Sutoria in Italy, where she learned the ins and outs of footwear design and production. The designer chose to name her brand after her daughters Chelsea and Paris when she realized there were very few Black female designers in the market. She wanted to encourage her daughters with her own success within the accessories business so that they could follow their own passions as well.

Her footwear line juxtaposes art deco influences with sustainable materials, such as vegetable-tanned and metal-free leathers, which don’t produce harmful byproducts. Textiles used for the shoes are ecologically-produced in a factory that utilizes only organic and cruelty-free dyes and glues. Each pair of shoes is handmade by European artisans.

The latest fall collection includes retro-inspired platform mary janes, a modern take on the Chelsea boot, and the sought-after Kels sandal, an architectural heel with a retro vibe. The shoes retail up to $600.

 

 

 
Footwear Designer Theresa Ebagua On Her African Heritage And Inspiring Her Daughters With Her Business
Felicity Carter Interview

New York-based designer, Theresa Ebagua has been serving up luxury footwear ever since she established her brand, Chelsea Paris in 2012, which is sweetly named after her two daughters.

From slick tall boots (they’re Theresa’s current favorite), to mules that just call for summer, it’s a label that has been revered by many. This girl gang not only includes her customers (she has a direct-to-consumer business model, so refreshingly, she can truly design for the Chelsea Paris woman), and then there’s the array of leading ladies from Beyonce, Kendall Jenner, and Kaley Cuoco, to Lupita Nyong’o, Selena Gomez, and Taylor Swift who all don the brand. That’s some following.

Theresa talks about her Nigerian heritage, the influences this has on her designs, and her motivations to inspire her daughters, Chelsea and Paris.

Felicity Carter: Tell us how you got into the fashion industry?

Theresa Ebagua: I had always been captivated by footwear, but my parents are African and very focused on education and didn’t think making shoes was a career. So instead, I earned an undergraduate degree in computer science and an MBA with a concentration in IT infrastructure – I call these my ‘parents’ degrees.’ But after my mom passed away, I finally decided to follow my passion and though I had intense desire and drive, I still needed experience. I studied at Ars Sutoria in Milan and after graduating, I completed a one year apprenticeship at family-owned factories in Italy learning product development, pattern making, how to make shoe lasts, dye leathers – all the many components that go into creating shoes. In what felt like a whirlwind, I grew a business from my childhood dream.