It’s no secret: Here at FP, we love a good shoe. And we mean a good shoe…
We’re talking beyond surface-level goodness (even though we love that too). We want the foundation, the core, the bones to be just as stellar. For just that, we look to We The Free, our in-house heritage label known for their mindful, meticulous creations that stand the test of time – in more ways than one.
While We The Free releases designs 365, autumn is really its time to shine. A year in advance, the close-knit team behind the boots put their heads together to brainstorm for this particular season. It is a lengthy process with lots of moving parts, all with the same end goal: To create a line of fall-forward boots that feel fresh yet timeless, without an ounce of quality spared.
From the first look and feel, you can tell just how much passion has gone into every pair; each boot has a backstory, and we think it’s time to let you in on them. Besides, these styles will be living in your closet for a long time, so you might as well get to know them…
I sat down with We The Free shoe designer Becca Moon to get the low-down on this year’s lineup:
BEHIND THE BOOTS
The Annual We The Free Fall Shoe Launch is Here
By: Gwen Attridge
A peek into our in-house brand’s biggest drop.
Free People: What is the general design philosophy behind We The Free shoes?
Becca Moon: I think the word timeless has been the most-used word with us. We want something that has a long life. You can just go to your cobbler in 5-10 years and get a new sole, or a new heel, and have them brought back to life. My dream is to be able to see people in them in like 10 years, and they're all patched up and worn. I want people to realize that they're spending money on something that they're going to have for a very long time…a true lifetime shoe. They grow and they age with you.
FP: Tell us about your annual fall launch: When does the process start/end and what sets it apart from other launches?
BM: I’m actually working on next fall now, so we work a year out. I’d say we probably work further out than any other team, because we truly build it from the ground up. We start by discussing things that are exciting us, and since we are working a year out, we're not addressing trends necessarily. We're speaking to that timelessness, which gives us the opportunity to take our time creating that evergreen piece. The fall is where we launch our new shapes, new hardware, new outsole designs, and the new techniques we’re employing. It's really where we shine, and then in spring, we'll take what we develop for the fall and rework it.
Becca Moon: I think the word timeless has been the most-used word with us. We want something that has a long life. You can just go to your cobbler in 5-10 years and get a new sole, or a new heel, and have them brought back to life. My dream is to be able to see people in them in like 10 years, and they're all patched up and worn. I want people to realize that they're spending money on something that they're going to have for a very long time…a true lifetime shoe. They grow and they age with you.
FP: Tell us about your annual fall launch: When does the process start/end and what sets it apart from other launches?
BM: I’m actually working on next fall now, so we work a year out. I’d say we probably work further out than any other team, because we truly build it from the ground up. We start by discussing things that are exciting us, and since we are working a year out, we're not addressing trends necessarily. We're speaking to that timelessness, which gives us the opportunity to take our time creating that evergreen piece. The fall is where we launch our new shapes, new hardware, new outsole designs, and the new techniques we’re employing. It's really where we shine, and then in spring, we'll take what we develop for the fall and rework it.
FP: Give us a little behind-the-scenes peek into the team's design process/decision-making.
BM: I’ve been working here for 10 years now, some on my team even longer, and we all have this very strong direction and solid base: We understand where we were, where we are, and where we're going. I have worked with them long enough to know that everybody's gonna like something different. It helps me design outside of just myself and what I would normally wear. It truly is collaborative…I talk and work with all these women that know what they’re doing and have that insight, so it’s really that team effort of “Okay, cool, that’s dope, but what about this?”...It's such a tight, small collection, and you want it to speak to a lot of different vibes. So while it starts with what’s in my own head, it’s vital to have that community of people to make those tweaks.
FP: What makes this specific launch special? Is there a theme this year?
BM: This collection is one of my favorites. I've been sitting on some of these ideas for 10 years…We really brought in that rocker girl vibe, with the red and all. I was watching old music videos, and I watched this old White Stripes video, and everything was just black, white, and red. And I was like, "OMG…that's it." I started designing everything in that color scheme, and we just ran with it. We also have this focus on belting, and this new pointed silhouette. This is really the cool girl collection, with all the chains and studded details, but we're definitely keeping with that timelessness. We're not doing it over the top, but we're definitely like peppering it in. I think the word functional is, to me, the most key with this collection too. Like, I don't throw a bunch of stuff on there that doesn't do anything. I learned how to make shoes from a man who would make safety boots, so I felt it was important that every pair had that.
BM: I’ve been working here for 10 years now, some on my team even longer, and we all have this very strong direction and solid base: We understand where we were, where we are, and where we're going. I have worked with them long enough to know that everybody's gonna like something different. It helps me design outside of just myself and what I would normally wear. It truly is collaborative…I talk and work with all these women that know what they’re doing and have that insight, so it’s really that team effort of “Okay, cool, that’s dope, but what about this?”...It's such a tight, small collection, and you want it to speak to a lot of different vibes. So while it starts with what’s in my own head, it’s vital to have that community of people to make those tweaks.
FP: What makes this specific launch special? Is there a theme this year?
BM: This collection is one of my favorites. I've been sitting on some of these ideas for 10 years…We really brought in that rocker girl vibe, with the red and all. I was watching old music videos, and I watched this old White Stripes video, and everything was just black, white, and red. And I was like, "OMG…that's it." I started designing everything in that color scheme, and we just ran with it. We also have this focus on belting, and this new pointed silhouette. This is really the cool girl collection, with all the chains and studded details, but we're definitely keeping with that timelessness. We're not doing it over the top, but we're definitely like peppering it in. I think the word functional is, to me, the most key with this collection too. Like, I don't throw a bunch of stuff on there that doesn't do anything. I learned how to make shoes from a man who would make safety boots, so I felt it was important that every pair had that.
FP: Any cool background behind certain pairs?
BM: I sourced a lot of my lasts at the only last factory left in the United States. I drove down to Arkansas 8 years ago, and got disgusting and dug through these plastic lasts. They have this nuance to the shapes that Europe and other countries’ lasts don't have. I've been sitting on them forever, and they’re really beautiful and make our shapes (for this collection) really strong. The shoes themselves are also beautifully made by these really passionate, moody shoemakers in Portugal. When I sit down and talk to them about new concepts or new finishes, they get very excited. They're good at what they do, and they, like, feel it. There's a lot of heart and a lot of work behind these developments…I even specified the type of sandpaper and the creams to use, and even bought this furnishing Dremel and went to Portugal to give it to the factory…These decisions and details come from people who really love what they do…
BM: I sourced a lot of my lasts at the only last factory left in the United States. I drove down to Arkansas 8 years ago, and got disgusting and dug through these plastic lasts. They have this nuance to the shapes that Europe and other countries’ lasts don't have. I've been sitting on them forever, and they’re really beautiful and make our shapes (for this collection) really strong. The shoes themselves are also beautifully made by these really passionate, moody shoemakers in Portugal. When I sit down and talk to them about new concepts or new finishes, they get very excited. They're good at what they do, and they, like, feel it. There's a lot of heart and a lot of work behind these developments…I even specified the type of sandpaper and the creams to use, and even bought this furnishing Dremel and went to Portugal to give it to the factory…These decisions and details come from people who really love what they do…
“They come from a place where people are as passionate about it as you can possibly imagine.”
FP: What details should we be on the look-out for?
BM: The typical branding elements, which originated back when I started. They were just like, “Here Becca, run with it.” So we have the three little dots…I didn't want too much of a busy logo on everything, so as I was doing the mock-up, I just took these tacks and did three little dots on the back. Those are also the tacks on every outsole. And then you have the key stitches like the pull tab, with the burnished edge leather. It’s like our signature on every pair. There's also this really dope double-stitch welt on the pointed toe that we introduced this season that gives the shoe this cool, bottom-heavy feel. This season was all about the belting, too. And the red is also really exciting for me.
BM: The typical branding elements, which originated back when I started. They were just like, “Here Becca, run with it.” So we have the three little dots…I didn't want too much of a busy logo on everything, so as I was doing the mock-up, I just took these tacks and did three little dots on the back. Those are also the tacks on every outsole. And then you have the key stitches like the pull tab, with the burnished edge leather. It’s like our signature on every pair. There's also this really dope double-stitch welt on the pointed toe that we introduced this season that gives the shoe this cool, bottom-heavy feel. This season was all about the belting, too. And the red is also really exciting for me.
“That black red can make pajamas look sexy.”
FP: Which pair do you take the most pride in?
BM: I gotta say, the Carter, the belted red one, they're so sexy on. I was wearing pajamas when I got the factory box and I put them on and my boyfriend was like “DAMN!” It’s that black red, it’s so fire. One of the factories made a mistake (on the coloring) and I was like “YES that’s it!” and I called him and was like, “How did you finish this?” and he was like, “I don’t remember” and I was like, “Come on, Paolo!” We needed to create that, that was it.
FP: Which pair do you think our customer will love most?
BM: The Aiden, definitely.
FP: If you could summarize this year’s drop in 3 words, what would they be?
BM: Decisions, decisions, decisions…It’s gonna be hard to pick just one pair.
BM: I gotta say, the Carter, the belted red one, they're so sexy on. I was wearing pajamas when I got the factory box and I put them on and my boyfriend was like “DAMN!” It’s that black red, it’s so fire. One of the factories made a mistake (on the coloring) and I was like “YES that’s it!” and I called him and was like, “How did you finish this?” and he was like, “I don’t remember” and I was like, “Come on, Paolo!” We needed to create that, that was it.
FP: Which pair do you think our customer will love most?
BM: The Aiden, definitely.
FP: If you could summarize this year’s drop in 3 words, what would they be?
BM: Decisions, decisions, decisions…It’s gonna be hard to pick just one pair.
Mic. Drop.
We hope you feel the love when you take home a pair of these We The Free boots, because a whole lot of it went into them <3 Keep an eye out all season as these special styles pop up on site.
Happy styling!
In-body images provided by Becca Moon.
We hope you feel the love when you take home a pair of these We The Free boots, because a whole lot of it went into them <3 Keep an eye out all season as these special styles pop up on site.
Happy styling!
In-body images provided by Becca Moon.
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