GWYNN’S: If you could go back to the beginning of your career, what would you tell yourself?
PAUL ANDREW: I was so anxious to get out of school and immediately be the creative director of a brand. It’s so much better, as a designer, to go into another house and learn from people that have been doing the job. Only start your brand when you’ve made mistakes spending other people’s money. I worked for 15 years before I started my brand. You know, I really am trying to push boundaries. I did this survey with 500 women to understand the perfect fit. The padding in my shoes is totally unique.
GWYNN’S: What part of your journey has shaped your design perspective the most?
PAUL ANDREW: When I started with Alexander McQueen in the early 2000s, he taught me the importance of thinking outside the box. We worked all the hours that God sent, and we created extraordinary things. Then I was working with Calvin Klein, where it was all about minimalism and structure, and then I worked with Donna Karan, who taught me the importance, really, of the woman and the fit and the comfort of things.
GWYNN’S: Imagine we’re walking through downtown Charleston- what’s your ideal shoe for a day like this?
PAUL ANDREW: I’ve thought about that. It’s part of my design concept and philosophy every season. So this season is a whole series of wedges and flats. There’s another shoe called “Shore” with an espadrille wedge. It will take you from downtown Charleston to Sullivans Island. They don’t just look good; they hopefully feel really good too.
GWYNN’S: If I’m buying my first pair of your shoes, which one are you putting me in?
PAUL ANDREW: I would go really mega. There’s this pair that we have called the “Murano”; it’s a high heel mule. The heel is made by a glass artist who I happened to meet at a dinner party, and it turns out he makes stained glass windows for churches. They’re really works of art.
GWYNN’S: Looking back, what’s been your biggest ‘pinch me’ moment?
PAUL ANDREW: When I won the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, that was such an extraordinary moment in my life and career. After that, several brands called me, and I ultimately ended up working with Ferragamo and became creative director of everything, and I don’t know what would have ever happened without that award, and also the support of Anna Wintour, Vogue, and the CFDA.
