In Their Shoes

About In Their Shoes

Join us for ‘In Their Shoes’, conversations with the brightest and best in the footwear industry. Katie Greenyer, Cordwainer and Creative Director of Pentland Brands interviews inspiring shoemakers and innovative footwear entrepreneurs. Step into their shoes to discover what drives and inspires them, as well as the challenges they have overcome on the path to success.

Publisher

Cordwainers

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Sept 2021

Latest episode

19 Mar 2025

Latest episodes

24 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Mar 2025

   6. Patrick Cox - Iconic Footwear Designer

   Description In a specially extended interview for the Cordwainers, Katie Greenyer talks to maverick Patrick Cox the award-winning, British-trained, Canadian fashion designer whose eponymous footwear label introduced the Wannabe loafer, one of the most iconic shoes of the 90s. Patrick talks about his peripatetic childhood between Canada and Africa, and his early days as a self-professed 'fashion victim' with a driving desire to stand out from the crowd and ‘be noticed’. Listen, as he recounts his time as a ‘disruptor’ at Cordwainers Technical College in London in the 80s, where he rubbed shoulders with the infamous ‘Cordwainer Six’. Obsessed with international design, he bunked off college to attend the fashion shows in Paris, embracing the New Romanticism of the era, but when it could have been ‘anything’ it was footwear that caught his attention. Patrick recalls working with the brilliant Vivienne Westwood and her team – ‘for the absolute love and joy and honour’ - which gave him the key breaks he needed on his footwear journey - from launching his own label and first collection in 1986, through to projects with John Galliano, Geox and Sophia Webster, who credited him with inspiring her design career. Finally, he touches on the challenges of working with investors and brands and opens up about his very personal journey through rehab struggling with depression. He talks about his current project building his own brand ‘Doors of Perception’ and looks forward to the next life chapter in an extraordinary design career. Potential quotes: I am well and truly out of the footwear industry; this isn’t a sob story; I had an amazing time, until I didn't. I want to revel in the dirt; I want to revel in history. ‘Sex in the City’ made shoe designers into the Gods they are. Why shoes? I took everything very scientifically. For me a shoe is like a building, it’s like architecture, it has an inside and an outside, and a concealed supporting structure. Shoes are very much more precise than clothing, clothing might have a 1 cm seam allowance, a shoe is 2 mm. Cordwainers College - got me staring at shoes at an impressionable age. It was all part of the brand, we worked hard, we played hard, we sold a lot. I have stepped back and now I am choosing to design and loving designing – a company of one. I was always eternally into platforms. If it’s got my name on it, I will fight till the end. London…now there’s a return to craft! Acclaim is good for the team, it’s good for your relatives, it’s something you can share…but it always rang very hollow to me. The moments that were great were collective. If someone smiled, they got what I was doing. I was just winging it from day one; fake it till you make it.

2. 

   16 Jan 2025

   5. Deborah Carré and James Ducker - Carréducker

   Deborah Carré and James Ducker, award-winning artisan shoemakers of Carréducker, share their expertise on bespoke shoemaking, sustainability, and the importance of passing on traditional skills to future generations.

3. 

   20 Dec 2024

   4. Kristina Blahnik - CEO of Manolo Blahnik

   Katie chats with Kristina Blahnik, CEO of Manolo Blahnik, about leading a family business, staying true to design values, and embracing technology while preserving craftsmanship.

Who has been a guest on In Their Shoes

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Deborah Carré
• James Ducker
• Kristina Blahnik

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

30

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact In Their Shoes

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.