designer spotlight: birdies multi-purpose, comfort slippers for the woman on-the-go

Designer Spotlight is a regular column focused on style/design and working women.
Science fiction bird
Footwear companies created by former Facebook and Ross store executives Bianca Gates and Marisa Sharkey aim to support busy women.
The brand specializes in designing stylish home slippers in a modern style.
Birdies combines the softness of slippers, the support of sneakers and the fashion of designer shoes.
Each slippers are crafted with luxurious suede lint and calf shoes
Hair or velvet materials, including stylish accents such as embroidery and tassels.
The footbed is made of memory foam for extra cushion and arch support, lined with soft, quilting, satin and faux sheep fur.
This unique $140 slippers feature a rubber sole that is durable and has traction.
Fans include the Duchess of the future (hint, hint)
And Kirsten Green, founder of the Pioneer Company, who invested in birds and helped raise $2 million in a series of seed funds in September.
Birdies opened its first store in San Francisco\'s lively Union Street last month. Its slippers (sizes 5. 5-11)
In addition to its own electronics, it is also available for purchase in selected national boutiques and spascommerce site.
Before Birdies was founded in 2015, Gates was the leader in Facebook\'s retail partnership with Instagram.
She has also worked as a client manager in Viacom in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with a bachelor\'s degree in international/global studies at UC Irvine.
Sharkey, vice president of corporate strategy at Ross Stores Group, works as a management consultant at Bain, focusing on retail growth strategies and performance improvements for apparel, footwear and personal care companies.
She received a master\'s degree in business administration from Wharton and a bachelor\'s degree in business administration from Cornell University.
Kristina Moore: as far as I know, actress Megan Markle is wearing a bird while traveling
Arrange and run errands.
Is the way she dresses a typical experience of what your customers are doing?
Bianca gates: Yes!
The birds are made to solve the problem of what to wear indoors to supplement the style and comfort of your fashionable clothes.
But we all have a busy lifestyle, and when doing customer surveys, we find that many of our customers like their birds so much that they often wear them outside --
As a result, we have designed birds with rubber soles to meet the needs of outdoor elements.
Also, travel is definitely a source of inspiration for us
Invented slippers.
It\'s about matching unparalleled comfort to style to make women look great and feel comfortable on the trip.
No matter where you are, the bird will make you feel at home!
What made you find the bird?
Gates: The bird has risen from the frustration that we are looking for fashion slippers at home.
We are always interesting.
There won\'t be any other way! )
However, it turns out that it is impossible for us to find fashionable slippers to match our fashionable clothes.
We all had this feeling of struggle before I found myself tired of finding trendy slippers online, but never discussed, and my husband encouraged me to put things in her own hands.
After talking to Marissa, I realized that it was a common setback, and we knew that we were not the only ones looking for fashionable and comfortable slippers, and we started working on it ourselves.
It\'s holiday season.
Do you think birds are a practical gift?
Marissa Shakki: Yes!
The bird is a great gift for anyone.
We are working with UrbanSitter\'s nanny --
The slippers set includes a $125 UrbanSitter gift card plus a $140 Birdies gift card for just $199!
Mom goes out at night with a trusted nanny and luxurious slippers for a busy lifestyle.
This will be the ultimate gift for mothers who have everything.
For decades in connection with mobility and empowerment, women seem to have a historical cycle in choosing footwear.
Do you think the popularity of birds among women is part of the new cycle?
Absolutely!
Women now have more opportunities than ever to really listen to them and change the world around them.
Our shoes are for a woman who is balancing every aspect of being a strong woman
Whether she is taking care of her children or at home, climbing the corporate ladder, or volunteering in the community.
As women entrepreneurs, we really see ourselves in our customers and products.
Whether she is working at home or in the office, is the bird a choice for professionals?
Gates: A lot of people are working remotely right now, which is great and offers a lot of flexibility.
But you still want to be motivated to deal with anything that comes to you on weekdays.
Even the last minute video conference.
The bird is perfect for women who work from home or want to be comfortable at their office or desk --
This is an interior shoe that is not very formal, completely comfortable and perfect --to-
The toes seem to have the power to influence how you feel, your confidence, and ultimately your productivity.
Why do you think birds resonate with investors?
Sharkey: on September, we announced a $2 million series of seed financing rounds led by Forerunner Ventures, an investor behind Jet.
Com and Dollar Shave Club have the participation of slow-moving companies, chart companies, social capital and some strategic individual investors.
The birds resonated well with investors because they saw what we saw --
Space for updates on the market today.
House slippers and designer shoes can be traced back many years ago, but never put together in such a unique way.
The goal of the bird is to bring luxury to the family.
Redefine interior fashion and the way people live.
They respect our story and look forward to being part of our team as we capture the potential to redefine interior fashion with fashion slippers.
Why open a brick? and-mortar store?
Gates: Over the past few years, Birdies has done a lot of luggage displays and found that when consumers touch and feel the slippers, the conversion rate is very high and will react immediately!
We wanted to give people a more scalable place to try on slippers and immerse them in the brand.
The shop looks and feels like a beautiful Pacific Highland home where people can come in, take off their shoes, have a glass of wine and put on comfortable and stylish slippers. What’s next?
Where did you see the bird three years later?
Sharkey: we want to see birds continue to grow in business and fashion.
We just opened the first brick. n-
This fall, the mortar store has achieved great success in San Francisco.
We are working on the new Spring 18 series, which will be ready in the coming months and start making birds for the bridal series.
Slippers designed for her special day and wedding party.
Now we focus on creating a trusted house name and learn more about what our customers really attract.
Only time will tell us!
How do you replenish your creativity and energy?
I cherish my time with my family.
Our children are at such an age to look at the world in such a pure way that it is exciting to watch them grow and learn.
I think it is they who have given us the motivation to pursue our dreams.
Well, there\'s wine! Gates: The GYM!
Work for me to get my brain out of reality (and my phone! )
Enter this exciting and interesting \"if\" world.
Most of the time we spend with the birds today comes from letting my ideas flow --
It really only happened when I was in the gym.
Something like-what if I quit my daily job at Facebook and worked full time at birdie?
What if we raise some money and really do that?
What if we open physical stores?
If Megan Markle (
Long-time fans of birds)
Engaged to Prince Harry.
They happen to announce their engagement on Cyber Monday! )? !
A lot of the things we did at Birdies started with my crazy thoughts in my head at the gym.
I found that giving myself time and space to think creatively is more impactful than the model on the spreadsheet can provide.