We’ve been taken over, and we love it.
Our Stacy Adams Instagram account had a surprise visit from one of the men behind the designs of our shoes. Stacy Adams Footwear Designer, Ryan Butts, took the time to give us a behind the scenes look into the creation of our shoe styles and what his day-to-day looks like in the office through an IGTV video.
Ryan, who studied Industrial Design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, worked for some of the most prestigious brands in the industry before coming to Stacy Adams over five years ago. But from the very beginning Stacy Adams has been the right fit for Ryan. “The brand has always hit home for me. My dad and my grandad both wore Stacy Adams,” he explains. With his background in design and seeing the brand on his family members feet throughout his childhood, Ryan has been able to see Stacy Adams develop from dress shoe focused to its more recent casual side.
In his video, Ryan walks us through the creation of a shoe style – from design and research where they study new materials and trends, to the drawing board for sketching, “where we create our initial concepts for new products,” says Ryan. From here he shows us every stage of the process until they receive their first samples from the factory. “After tweaking and revising your sample and you have something you are proud of, it’s time to go to market with your final product.” Nothing about the shoe design process bores Ryan. He looks forward to each new season he gets to design for and keeping up with the latest fashion trends is what he thrives on.
This exclusive, behind the scenes look at the shoe design process reveals just how much thought and effort goes into each Stacy Adams shoe. It’s a lot of work, but for Ryan, it’s well worth it. “I get to leave my imprint on the brand. From celebrities to people on the street, seeing people wearing my designs is pretty cool.”