In this latest episode of FashionTalks host Donna Bishop talks with Myriam Maguire, President and Lead Designer of the award winning brand Maguire (founded in 2017). While the 2024 CAFA winner of Accessories Designer of the Year has focused on footwear, it is ever expanding its offerings into a wider range of accessories.

Donna and Myriam dive into:

• her story of launching the brand and what sparked her love of footwear
• unique strategies that resulted in a successful launch and growth, both creative and fiscal
• a peak behind the curtain of show production
• her take on consumer and business trends in this turbulent times

Maguire Shoes - @maguireshoes - www.magguireshoes.com

Donna Bishop - @thisisdonnab

FashionTalks - @fashiontalkspod

CAFA Awards - @cafawards

TRANSCRIPT:

Donna Bishop

Myriam, welcome to Fashion Talks. It's so wonderful to have you here today.

00:04 .58

Myriam

Yeah, thank you for having me.

00:06 .99

Donna Bishop

So I love to start with the same question, which is, when was the moment where you were aware that fashion had more power than just clothing that protected us from the elements? When did you realize that there was something more to it than that?

00:22 .04

Myriam

I think like when I was in high school, like I was in high school in like the 90s and the early two thousand So the style was pretty conservative. It was kind of grunge, like a lot of navy, dark colors.

00:36 .06

Donna Bishop

Okay.

00:36 .03

Myriam

and the And then I was looking at magazines and I would see these fun like Mick 60 ads and like things that were really colorful. So I decided high school to wear zebra pants, even though it was like not on trend. It was not a thing.

00:51 .52

Myriam

And then I realized that everyone was like confused and started looking at me differently. So I was like, and and then it kind of, I think ah kind of built my self-confidence that I was, I could wear something different and I can be any, anything I want, even though like there's like very, and and especially in the nineties and the 2000, it was like the style, there was like one or two style and that's it. You had to be part of a group.

01:17 .75

Myriam

And I think not, being part of a group and being completely different, I think made made me realize that the the power of fashion and how you can like be anything you want, basically.

01:31 .14

Donna Bishop

I love stories like that where we realize, like, to me, there's such a paradox where we realize that the power of fashion comes from being being different, but yet sometimes we're dressing to fit in. Like, I love feeling that, you know, that that tension between those two things.

01:46 .66

Myriam

And I think there was, because there was like different group, but everyone would accept me in like my difference. They would be like, I wouldn't wear it, but it looks really good on you.

01:57 .46

Myriam

Like that's what I would get in terms of comments. So I felt like it was nice to feel free to do whatever you want, basically.

02:01 .31

Donna Bishop

Yeah.

02:06 .83

Donna Bishop

And where did you grow up, Miriam? where did you yeah like Where did you go to school? What kind of kid were you when you were young?

02:12 .46

Myriam

Yes, so I grew up in the and the suburb of Quebec City. So Quebec City is a really French town. and Growing up, like a lot of people in English class would say like, why are we learning English? We're never going to use it. That that was like the kind of thing.

02:29 .37

Myriam

that people would say in my class and I was not really good in languages I was like I was kind of an average student that was really good in art and I was also in like swimming and I was also doing swimming competitions so I was like a I like to be competitive but I was also artistic so I think what I do today it's a combination of like competition and being really artistic. So I think it's, I'm still the same person that I was when I was young.

03:01 .26

Donna Bishop

I love that ah there was an activeness in you. So obviously footwear, because you know if you're moving around, like that makes sense.

03:06 .79

Myriam

Yep.

03:08 .92

Donna Bishop

Have you always been ah interested in in shoes? Has that always been a part of your fashion story?

03:15 .06

Myriam

Yeah, it was always, you know, when you're younger, you cannot afford a lot of clothes. So your parents will buy you a ah few things. And then I always love to have really special shoes because I felt they would like light up all my outfit. They would make all my outfits special.

03:31 .49

Myriam

So I remember, I think when I was in sixth grade, again, no one was wearing anything eccentric, but I have like pewter metallic shoes that no one ever so saw. i think I got them at Le Château.

03:45 .23

Myriam

and And then I was like super happy about that. So I think I always I was always into shoes. My mom told me I was choosing my shoes when I was four years old. So it was always a thing for me for some reason.

03:58 .45

Donna Bishop

I mean, it's it's the whole Wizard of Oz thing, right? Like, you know, a pair of shoes is transportive, you know, in the fairy tales, but also in terms of it can take an outfit that might be quite classic and simple and, you know, add some sparkle and some noise and some color, right?

04:12 .68

Myriam

Yep. Yep.

04:16 .33

Donna Bishop

Where did you go after high school? what is your What was your educational track that got you to where you are?

04:22 .27

Myriam

So basically when you know when you're 13, 14, you have a class and they ask you to choose what you're going to do when you grow up. So I went through the the entire book and I was looking, I was like, I want to be a shoe designer.

04:34 .73

Myriam

And I went to like the the entire ah pamphlet, like it was like the different school and the different program.

04:41 .24

Donna Bishop

Okay.

04:42 .70

Myriam

And I couldn't find any shoe program. And then through research, I realized that a lot of shoe designers were trained as industrial designers. So that's why I, from when I was 19, I moved from Quebec City to Montreal to study four years in the industrial design at University of Montreal.

05:01 .38

Myriam

And then I did a year at University of the Art in London to at a place called Cornwainer's. which is a school that specializes in shoes.

05:12 .06

Myriam

And it's also where Jimmy Choo studied. So this is how I was able to find find it.

05:16 .02

Donna Bishop

Oh, yeah.

05:17 .23

Myriam

Because I had a book with different shoe designers. And I saw that he studied there. And at the time, I think the pounds was three times the Canadian dollar. And I wanted to do the three years BA.

05:29 .32

Myriam

And my parents were like, we won't like remortgage our house for you to be able to go to London to study shoes.

05:33 .92

Donna Bishop

Yeah.

05:37 .20

Myriam

So that's why I did the first. And then by the time I graduated university, there was a one year program that was costing a lot less money. So I was able to like take a loan and do it for a year.

05:51 .44

Myriam

So that's how I started.

05:54 .12

Donna Bishop

And before we get to the to the birth of Maguire in 2017, what were you doing before then? when were you Where were you gathering your professional experience?

06:03 .50

Myriam

So yeah, so after London, I applied to a place called Fabrica, which is a design research center based in Italy, close to Venice. And it was owned by a United Colour Benetton.

06:16 .17

Myriam

So it was owned by a fashion brand, but they would basically pay for your flight ticket, your food, your rent, like they would pay for everything and give you a salary.

06:27 .02

Myriam

And then you would just be an artist in residence. So I was, ah so I applied to do that. And I thought I would never get it. And I got in. So there was like, I think, 3000 application a year.

06:38 .44

Myriam

And it would take around 30 to 40 people from all around the world in different fields. So I did that for a year. And then i also went to work at after that, I went to work at Aldo and I worked there for almost six years.

06:53 .85

Myriam

So, so that's what I was doing. And it's where I learned most of my footwear, like knowledge and experience. It's really working at Aldo and I had the chance to be working with Aldo, the owner, because he's very, he's very involved in the product.

07:07 .48

Donna Bishop

ah

07:10 .13

Myriam

And I saw him two weeks ago and he was still doing product. He was still very involved with the samples. So, I think like I see myself in him in the fact that I also the product is what interests me the most.

07:25 .02

Myriam

And I also