Challenging convention, Ruthie Davis rewrites the rules governing modern elegance and glamour – avant-garde yet wearable, feminine but unfussy, modern but never cold, her footwear designs skillfully manage a unique fusion of luxury and youthful sensuality. As a New York City resident and Designer and President of her eponymous label, she understands how to create shoes modern women covet.
At Bowdoin College, Ruthie majored in English Literature and Visual Arts. She loved to watercolor buildings and shoes. She went on to earn her MBA from Babson’s Olin Graduate School of Business, with the intention of someday forging an independent fashion label of her own. Ruthie then honed her design skills at Reebok, UGG Australia and Tommy Hilfiger before launching RUTHIE DAVIS in 2006.
Designed in New York and handcrafted in Italy, Ruthie Davis is renowned for her architectural shapes, luxurious mix of materials, uncompromising quality and vivid color palette. The RUTHIE DAVIS brand is sold in top tier retail establishments worldwide including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Amazon, Bloomingdales, Fred Segal, Harvey Nichols, Luisa Via Roma, and 10 Corso Como, spanning over 35 countries and 100 locations. In January 2014, she launched her own global ecommerce store on RUTHIEDAVIS.COM. In 2015, Ruthie plans to open the first Flagship Ruthie Davis Store in New York City.
RUTHIE DAVIS is a top choice of celebrities and fashion tastemakers including iconic performers Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Jennifer Lopez; A-list celebrities Miley Cyrus, Halle Berry, and Sophia Vergara; supermodels Joan Smalls and Naomi Campbell; and young Hollywood stars Emma Roberts, Zendaya Coleman, and Demi Lovato. Her designs have been featured in New York Fashion Week runway presentations by Alice + Olivia, Dennis Basso, David Meister and Doo Ri among others. Recently, Ruthie collaborated with menswear designer and animal activist John Bartlett on the launch of her first vegan shoe line, as well as Daniel Silver and Steven Cox of Duckie Brown for their debut women’s fall 2014 collection at New York Fashion Week. Beginning in 2013, Ruthie has been collaborating with Lady Gaga on custom shoes for the pop star.
In 2014, Ruthie Davis was the only footwear designer to be accepted into the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America). Additionally, Ruthie was named the 2014 “Footwear Designer of the Year” by AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association) at their annual American Image Awards. In 2013, Ruthie was distinguished as one of Goldman Sachs’ “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs,” one of Footwear News’ “20 Directional Design Stars,” and one of Vogue Italia’s “Vogue Talents.”
Ruthie serves as a television fashion expert with regular spots on Bravo, E!, Fox News, and NBC, among others. Ruthie consistently dedicates time to mentoring emerging designers and entrepreneurs. Whether it be teaching a course at FIT, or lecturing at MIT’s Sloan School of Business, her message is always clear, “Find your passion, work hard, live your dreams.”
