Veronica Beard Designers On the Return of Heels, Brick & Mortar Expansion

“Heels are back,” said Veronica Swanson Beard at the Veronica Beard spring ’22 presentation. She was joined by her co-founder, co-designer and sister-in-law Veronica Miele Beard during their return to New York Fashion Week earlier this month.

Last year, just before the pandemic hit, the designers presented their first fashion show and first footwear collection under their partenship with Caleres. Now with a few seasons under their belt, the brand’s shoe category has doubled its business.

“Caleres allows us to have creative direction,” Miele Beard said, adding that the company has helped strengthen the category in terms of materials and production. “It’s been a dream partnership. This price point was missing in the market.”

“We had a clear direction of where we wanted to be in the market in terms of footwear and we saw an open space between designer and contemporary that we could take,” Swanson Beard added. “We have the No. 1 cross-over shopper from designer to contemporary — that’s what we did in ready-to-wear, and that’s what is happening with footwear.”

While heels are certainly resonating with consumers now that people are looking to get dressed up again, the brand is zeroing in on clog styles for spring in a range of silhouettes, including heels, flats, boots and sandals. For ready-to-wear, standouts include wearable knits, trousers, suiting and jackets.

“It’s all about what she wants to wear — color and femininity. One thing was proven during lockdown, if you don’t look good, you don’t feel good. We are seeing the pendulum swing,” Miele Beard said.

What’s more, Veronica Beard is expanding its brick-in-mortar presence with story openings in secondary markets, including Atlanta and Palm Beach, Florida. The brand currently has stores in cities such as Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles.