Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Brittney Perry had always dreamed of starting her own shoe line. Inspired by her journey playing basketball growing up, Brittney wanted to design a shoe that was versatile, stylish, and comfortable. Most importantly, she wanted to create a sneaker that both men and women could wear. As she began her journey in the sneaker industry, she quickly discovered how hard it was to connect with business professionals and consultants in the space, and the financial capital required to get started. It was during this time when she decided to go back to the basics. She began reaching out to fellow designers to learn more about their experiences creating their own sneakers. Shortly after, she was able to connect with Quintin Williams—a designer in Atlanta who had his own shoe line and worked with an array of brands doing freelance design—,and began to learn about his journey in the industry. It was only up from there! Not only did Brittney learn about the process of creating a shoe, but she also began to dive deeper into the marketing, business, and supply chain side of sneaker design as she prepared to launch her first shoe. The rest is history! Currently, Brittney is continuing to expand her shoe company—PerryCo. Shoes—across different retailers in Chicago and Indiana, and is looking forward to launching additional styles in the near future.
What was the inspiration behind creating your own shoe line?
Growing up in Indiana, we didn’t really have any footwear stores or boutiques. We only had stores like Finish Line and Foot Locker. When I would go to the women’s side at the shoe store, it was super small, and then I would look over to the men’s section and it was like an entire wall of shoes for them to choose from. They just had more options, so I would see myself wearing a lot of men’s shoes growing up—especially playing basketball because they had more options in their basketball shoes. I was also inspired by my older brother and his love for sneakers as well.
How did basketball influence your vision and design outlook for your company?
Especially with (me) playing basketball, it was about comfort not about style. Nowadays, I think it is more so about versatility as well. A lot of people wear basketball shoes and they don’t play basketball, they just wear them because they look cool—that inspired me and influenced my creative process now of having that versatility & style, but also comfort as well. Being able to design a shoe that was not just based on one standard use was important. So not specifically for basketball or work (for instance), but I wanted it to be versatile, minimal—you could wear it for anything—, and for everybody.
"I would say, “You have to put yourself out there. There is never going to be a time where you are 100% ready to go. You just have to start and learn as you go.” I would also say to stay true to yourself, your progress and your vision, and you will be successful."
- Brittney on pieces of advice she would give to someone who is interested in starting their own business in the industry.
How did your experiences within the corporate world help you as you transitioned into building your business? What are some skills that you have implemented throughout this process?