Follow Vogue Arabia

Amina Muaddi on Her Journey to Being the Celebrity-Loved Shoemaker of Today with Manuel Arnaut

00:00 / 00:00

Footwear designer Amina Muaddi joined Vogue Arabia Editor-in-Chief for the fourth episode of ‘Manuel Arnaut in Conversation With’. The two came together on Instagram Live for a fun yet insightful chat that saw the Jordanian-Romanian designer open up about her roots and what others may not know about her career path to being the celebrity-loved shoemaker she is today.

“It’s been a long journey for me, I know people probably see it as a short one because I started my brand in 2018,” said the 33-year-old. “I started my shoe journey when I was 26 years old so it’s been 7-8 years now.” The designer went on to say that it had been a while since she stepped foot in the industry as she co-founded her first brand and had it for five years after which she left to start her namesake label in 2018.

Also Read: This is How Amina Muaddi Became the Best Footwear Designer of the Year

Since then, the label has caught the attention of some of the most famous celebrities including Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and Kylie Jenner, and Muaddi attributes all this recognition to her unique shoe styles. “Of course it raises brand awareness to have style icons and amazing women wearing my shoes, but I feel like clients purchase the shoes because they like the product and not because of the celebrity who wore them,” said the designer.  “I could give a shoe to someone who is influential, but if a woman doesn’t like it, she will not wear it.”

When asked how growing up between Jordan, Romania, and Italy has affected her aptitude for design, Muaddi said that it shaped her as a human being first. “I consider myself a citizen of the world,” said the designer. She also recalled some of her childhood memories from Jordan and sharing them with Arnaut she went on to say, “I had a big family and a lot of cousins who I would play all the time with. I had this garden where my family had figs and olive trees, and to this day when I taste figs, I remember Jordan so it was definitely an important moment of my life.”

Watch the full conversation between Arnaut and Muaddi above and make sure to check back to find out who will be the next guest in our weekly series “Manuel Arnaut In Conversation With…”

Read Next: Halima Aden Opens Up About the Pressure of Being a Steoreotype-Shattering Hijabi Model with Manuel Arnaut

Suggestions
Articles
View All
Vogue Collection
Topics