This Rhode Islander Is Chasing Her Dream to NY Fashion Week, One Shoe Design at a Time
Saturday, August 26, 2023
East Providence native Marci Thompson says that fashion has “always been a passion” of hers since she was a kid.
“When the teacher was getting the class ready, I was doodling sneakers and clothes,” said Thompson. “I got the nickname ‘Shoes’ in middle school. I was wearing heels even back then.”
On her own since the age of 17, Thompson worked her way through college — and then up the corporate ladder — but all the while, kept working on her designs.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNow, she is heading to New York Fashion Week, and Thompson says her goal is to ultimately make a “career move.”
This week, Thompson spoke with GoLocal about her path — and where she hopes to go.
From Townie to NYC
“This really has been a lifelong journey,” said Thompson. “In college, I had to be self-sufficient — I started off working at the deli in Stop and Shop for the pay and benefits.”
With a degree from the University of Rhode Island, Thompson worked at Bank of America for ten years, then moved to corporate at Citizens Bank.
“I’ve always been a hard worker,” said Thompson, who said at one point she picked up a second job in the shoe department at Macy’s for what she thought was going to be a seasonal gig, but actually turned into years with the retail store.
Then COVID hit — and Thompson, and her newborn baby were hit, literally.
“When I got released from the hospital after having my baby, we got into a car accident,” said Thompson. “I was out of work for a while. I really had to think about things. Dealing with all of the medical bills was practically another job.”
“I said, maybe I need a whole new direction. Let me dig into my fashion project,” said Thompson.
“I found Alive shoes, and I applied to work with them. They incentivized me to start designing, so I buckled down and started creating,” said Thompson.
And so Thompson's line "Shôés" was born.
“Right now, it’s directly through my website. You can choose the design, and everything down to the stitching, and then I buy the rights to the shoe — I buy the prototype,” said Thompson of the process, which sees the product made in Le March, Italy.
Thompson said her shoe designs are probably in the “hundreds,” and she now has the rights to over a dozen of them.
Then Thompson said she found — and reached out to — Flying Solo, which helps independent designers such as herself.
With the assistance of the brand, Thompson has shown her designs in Miami, and recently was featured in Fashion Week Online.
And she was just accepted to New York Fashion Week, and next month she is off to the Big Apple to show off “around 30 shoes.”
“Ultimately I want to design not just shoes but clothing and jewelry,” said Thompson. “My goal is to have my own line.”
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