DUBAI: Celebrity-loved Romanian Jordanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi gave readers insight into her career highs and lows this week in a telling interview with fashion industry magazine Footwear News.
“I was so passionate, so I was willing to go through any hardship,” she told the publication. “There’s a reason why only so many people get to this point, because you get tested a lot.
“Many times, I was close to giving up. I had to part ways with my partner, with producers; I’ve had (orders) canceled. It’s not about what you go through, it’s how you survive the situation and how you thrive after it. It’s a never-ending lesson,” she added.
The designer told the magazine that this year alone, her brand’s global sales revenue will total $55 million but added that after becoming an established shoes and accessories maker, her hardships have changed.
“It’s a matter of navigating and continuing no matter what,” she said.
This week, Muaddi, who is currently in New York attending star-studded fashion week events, shared with her fans a preview of her newest drop, a denim version of her “Jahleel” thigh-high boots.
Her newest drop is a denim version of her “Jahleel” thigh-high boots. (Instagram)
The shoes feature pointed toes and daring 100 mm stiletto heels.
The “Jahleel” over-the-knee shoes have been flaunted by French model Candy Bruna in the past. In April, the catwalk star stepped out in a honey brown pair at an event for sustainable beauty line Costa Brazil, created by Brazilian designer Francisco Costa.
Muaddi launched her eponymous footwear line in August 2018, approximately one year after departing from her role as co-founder and creative director of luxury footwear label Oscar Tiye.
The shoemaker’s eponymous label’s distinct pumps, sling-backs, mules, boots and sandals in an array of vibrant colors and holographic designs have since garnered a loyal checklist of famous fans, including Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber Baldwin.
She helped design the shoes for Rihanna’s Fenty collection. The collaboration was so successful that it received the Collaborator of the Year award at the 34th edition of the FN Achievement Awards.
In 2020, she debuted a range of jewelry and handbags and collaborated with Austrian brand Wolford on an exclusive 17-piece capsule collection of ready-to-wear looks earlier in 2021.
In October 2021, she landed a spot on Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) and Footwear News’s 50 Most Powerful Women list.